The Elite
by CarlyAnnieAndy
Summary: Over a year ago Massie Block moved to London, entrusting Alicia to lead the PC as Alpha at Briarwood-Octavian Prep. Now it's time for a new school year and she's back, ready to take her alpha title back but nothing is how she expected. Three years ago, Claire Lyons moved to Westchester as an LBR, desperate to fit in with the PC, but now Claire just might outshine them all...
1. Character Introductions, Part I

**New year, same old drama…**

 **Massie Block (sophomore):** After a year in England, Massie is back and excited to be reunited with her best friends! She's ready to start a new year as Alpha at Briarwood-Octavian Prep but is in for a rude awakening when she finds someone else sitting on her throne, and it's not the beta she entrusted it to…

 **Alicia Rivera (sophomore):** After Massie left, Alicia led the Pretty Committee through drama, heartbreak, and their biggest crises yet during their freshman year. But now that Massie is back, there's no way that Alicia can hide the fact that she had never really been BOP's alpha…

 **Kristen Gregory (sophomore):** As the varsity soccer team's youngest and best player, Kristen has garnered a lot of respect from her fellow teammates, and even managed to catch the eye of one of them.

 **Dylan Marvil (sophomore):** Spent her summer cleansing on an island in the Caribbean with her sisters and is back, ready to use her new body and glowing skin to win back Derrington. But will Dylan's new confidence come crashing down when she discovers he's into another PC member?

 **Claire Lyons (sophomore):** Is still happily with Cam, but feels absolutely terrible for lying to Massie for a year. But will Claire's ultimate betrayal be her failure to warn Massie or her switching to the enemy's side?

 **The Clique… the only thing harder than getting in is staying in.**

 ***Check out my Pintrest to see character aesthetics and setting inspirations, username: carlyannieandy (Carly Andrews), profile picture is a Tiffany's charm***


	2. Character Introductions, Part II

**Monica Sova (senior):** With her perfect pedigree, supermodel looks, and quick wit it's no wonder why Monica is the uncontested Alpha of the prestigious BOP. But what will happen when a new girl shows up and is ready to fight for her crown?

 **Annie Bolton (senior):** This willowy blonde may look sweet and innocent, but as Monica's second in command, she actually wields a lot of power and isn't afraid to use it.

 **Tiffany Wolf (senior):** Used to be Monica's best friend and confidant until their jealousies got the better of them. Now Tiffany spends most of her time plotting her alpha's downfall.

 **Mia Hanover-Williams (junior):** This Deerfield Academy transfer already knows that she's going to be the next big soccer phenom. This year, she has her sights set on being MVP, but will a certain dirty blonde get in her way?

 **Derrick Harrington (sophomore):** Had dated Dylan on and off freshman year and is ready to move on, especially when he hears that Block is back.

 **Cam Fisher (sophomore):** After the demise of The Garage Band, Cam started a new band with his brother called Key Failure. To everyone's surprise, they're actually really talented and on the rise!

 **Chris Plovert (sophomore):** Even though he didn't make varsity his freshman year, Chris became one of the most legendary students in BOP history by throwing the biggest rager in recent memory. But will his playboy-party hard attitude change when his dad forces him to spend time with his austere half-brother?

 **Josh Hotz (sophomore):** Had been cruelly dumped by Alicia freshman year and has struggled to move on. Can he find another girl that loves Ralph just as much as he does?

 **Landon Crane (junior):** Transferred to BOP from ADD after his mom's dog boutique became a successful chain of luxury pet supplies. Now he's working hard on making the lacrosse team, but will he get distracted when an old flame returns?

 **Clayton Plovert (junior):** Had been sent to New York from his native San Fransico by his mother to get to know his dad and half-brother, Chris. Not only does he despise the East Coast, but even his own greedy father and immature little brother. But will a certain redhead make him want to stay?

 **Ethan Sova (junior):** Monica's younger brother and one of the most sought after HARTs at BOP. It's been rumored in the halls that he was the real reason Alicia broke up with Josh…

 **Cayden McKenzie (junior):** Not only is Cayden one of the nicest people at BOP, but he's also the star quarterback and Annie's boyfriend. But will that all change when he finds out his girlfriend did something unforgivable?

 **Hayden McKenzie (junior** ): Unlike his older (by nine minutes) identical twin brother, Hayden prefers not to spend his time hitting people into the dirt, but into cold hard ice. But will hell freeze over when he betrays his own twin?

 **Liam Walker (senior):** Said to be the next Beckham, Liam is under a lot of pressure to be the perfect student-athlete. Not only do his peers expect him to lead the school to the state championship, but his parents expect an early admission to Harvard in December.

* * *

 *****For my readers outside of America*****

 **If you're confused about the American school system when it comes to grades and how old they are, here's a quick explanation:**

 **9th Grade- Freshman (14-15 years old-usually when kids start driver's ed./training)**

 **10th Grade- Sophomore (15-16 years old-this is typically when someone gets their license)**

 **11th Grade- Junior (16-17 years old-stressed about tests (SAT &ACT) and getting into college, yay!)**

 **12th Grade- Senior (17-18 years old-just want to leave and go to college already)**


	3. Prologue

BOCD is now BOP (Briarwood-Octavian Preparatory School)

* * *

 **Prologue**

 **"It's never too late to become who you want to be. I hope you live a life that you're proud of, and if you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start over."**

 **-F. Scott Fitzgerald**

* * *

 **Westchester, NY**

 **The Blocks' Bentley**

 **Monday, August 26th**

 **9:09 A.M.**

Sitting in the back seat of her family's brand new Bentley, Massie Block stared out the window with a calm, almost aloof expression. On the outside landmarks came and went as the car glided smoothly down the small hill on Pinecrest Lane. Buzzing by was the tall stone fence in front of the Andersons' estate. It was a spot that used to be popular for Bean, her ah-dorable black pug, to mark her territory. But the familiar streets they rode down couldn't interrupt her thoughts because Memory Lane was currently closed.

Instead, her head was running through the list of things to do once they _fi-nuh-ly_ moved out of their suite at The Plaza. Her closet alone would take at least a day to unpack and another two just to organize. The rest of her stuff could wait. There was absolutely no way Massie could focus on the interior design of her room while her precious wardrobe collected wrinkles in boxes! The fabrics needed to breathe, not suffocate! And then there was the matter that she still needed to pick out the perfect outfit for her first day at Briarwood-Octavian Prep!

The long list of things to do kept piling up. She mentally counted down how many more days until school started and felt an anxious tug at her stomach. It was only a week away, and she hadn't even told her best friends, the Pretty Committee, that she was permanently back in America. Currently, they were under the assumption that Massie had only been in New York for the summer with her mom while her dad flew back and forth between NYC and London on business. They still had no clue that the Blocks weren't returning to London at the beginning of September, that Massie was back. For good.

She had moved to Britain about over a year and a half ago, after Merri Lee Marvil's annual New Year's Yves event. Once her parents told her the news of their move, it had initially been hard to accept. But after a fit of denial, Massie had even started to look forward to starting over fresh. She had become a student at KISS (Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School) and met her ah-dorable Bawtie (British Hawtie) boyfriend, James Willmott. They had even lived in a beautiful castle in Surrey! She truly had gone on an adventure, just as Hermia, the psychic, had predicted. And right when she had thought she had started to adjust to another country's norms and values, her parents announced that they were moving back to the States.

It had felt like a betrayal at first. Massie had given up so much for their move to England. She had said goodbye to the only place in her thirteen years she had ever truly known. Had said goodbye to Landon, the crazy hot dog loving lax player. And most heartbreakingly, she had been separated from the best friends she had ever known.

Now they expected her to do it all over again.

At least this time, she was returning home. She wouldn't have to start all over again.

The amount of time she had been gone had technically been short, but she couldn't help but worry that she had been forgotten by her peers. Would anyone at BOP remember her? Of course, The Pretty Committee hadn't forgotten her, but what about all of the LBRs she used to make fun of? Had they rejoiced when they heard she was moving across the ocean? It was a question she had only pondered over once, just before they had boarded the plane when she had left in the eighth grade. But at the time she had figured it no longer mattered because she had thought she would never see them again.

Massie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She tried reminding herself that if they had forgotten her, they would quickly remember. Massie Block was not one to be forgotten. All of the LBRs would probably bow down to her once they saw her, and she would rightfully take her alpha spot.

It had been an exclusive title that she had passed down to her beta, Alicia when she had left for England. Alicia's beauty, grace, and confidence had made her the obvious choice as her successor. It had been tough to hand over control, for years Massie had poured her soul into the PC and worked tirelessly to make sure they were the most enviable group of all. And in Massie's time as alpha of the PC, Alicia had tried and failed to oust her many times. But, Massie knew that Alicia loved Claire, Kristen, and Dylan just as much as she did, and her years as beta had made her hardworking and ambitious.

 _Yap-yap_

 _Yap-yap_

Bean's barking from her spot in Massie's lap made her snap out of her thoughts. "Bean!" The black pug scratched at the window and whined, looking back at Massie with big pleading brown eyes.

Massie looked out the window and realized why Bean was freaking out. They were in front of their old estate!

"Looks exactly the same." Her dad, William, quietly said from the driver's seat. Her mom, Kendra, silently grabbed his hand with a wistful expression.

Massie's eyes combed the grand estate that she had spent her first thirteen years of life living on. Looking at it, it really did look the same. The same hedges, the same immaculate lawn, the same magnificent stone house, and the smaller guest house. The only thing missing was the marble statue. The familiar feel she felt just by looking made her yearn to walk up the front steps of the main house, fling open the door and run up the grand hardwood staircase to her old room.

She had so many memories in that house. From Friday night sleepovers to the first co-ed party she threw on Halloween and exchanging gossip points with the PC while they sunbathed in the pool. Never again could Massie simply walk over to the guest house to spill her guts to Claire when she was feeling alone and insecure.

Suddenly two boys around seven or eight ran out the front door and jumped into the back seats of a silver Audi in the driveway. A woman, most likely their mom, dressed in a Chanel tweed jacket and matching skirt slowly made her way after them, phone in one hand as she dug through her Birkin bag for something before getting into the car. Did that family ever wonder about the people that had lived there before them?

It had been a question that had haunted Massie during her time in England. The castle that her family had taken residence in had been old, holding many occupants over the hundreds of years that the stone walls stood standing. It used to house important members of the aristocracy, and Massie knew that where there were powerful wealthy families, there were also scandals. What dirty secrets had the Lords and Ladies of that castle kept? What had they done in the very same rooms that she slept, lounged, and worked in?

Did the people that lived in the Blocks' old estate ever wonder about what secrets she had told, the plans she had plotted behind those walls? The mom in the Chanel outfit certainly never seemed to wonder such a thing.

William kept driving down the street, passing the Tudor style mansion of their old neighbors, the Hartmans, and then the Quinfords' Colonial. He made another right and came up to another grand estate that made their old one look like a small summer cottage rather than a multi-million dollar mansion.

It was an enormous brick Georgian estate, and the most beautifully designed home in the neighborhood. Without a doubt, it had been designed by a great architect and a team of landscapers. At the center lied the classic and imposing columns, and to the left and right the brick had Ivy creeping up, adding even more to the charm of the estate.

Her dad pulled up to the gate and pressed a button on the panel.

"Whose house is this?" Massie rolled down the window and peeked her head out, met by the smell of freshly cut grass.

The gate slowly opened and the Bentley inched forward while Massie admired the magnificent oaks lining the driveway.

"It's officially ours!" William exclaimed, his smile visible in the rearview mirror. Before she even knew it, a smile was tugging at the corner of her own lips, quickly spreading to beaming smile.

When the car came to a stop at the front steps of the grand house, Massie jumped out with Bean running in excited circles around her Gianvito Rossi ballet flats. The pebbles beneath her feet had a satisfying crunching sound every time she shifted her weight or moved, and the pink-purple peonies were in full bloom as if they were welcoming her. Everything about it was classic, elegant, and chic just like her.

Deciding it was time to break the news to her friends, Massie pulled out her iPhone and quickly snapped a picture to the PC. Excited bubbles fizzed inside her like champagne as she thought of what their reactions would be. No doubt they would be ecstatic, fawning over their returned alpha.

And soon everyone else would too.

Because Massie Block was back.

 **The Rivera Estate**

 **Alicia's Bedroom**

 **Monday, August 26th**

 **9:54 A.M.**

When Alicia Rivera woke up on a warm beautiful summer morning she expected her family's housekeeper to greet her with her usual tray of Avocado toast and bowl of fruit. But instead, she was awoken by the harsh buzzing of her phone on the nightstand. When she realized it still wasn't ten o'clock yet she rolled back over and tried to get back to her dream. School didn't start for another week and she wanted to enjoy sleeping in before it was no longer an option.

Back in her dream, Alicia giggled flirtatiously and bit her perfectly moisturized bottom lip. The boy, a total HART with his tan high cheekbones, a jawline that could cut diamonds, soft looking pink lips, light brown hair that brought out his most captivating feature: his eyes. They were a striking sea green color, starting as a deep blue around the edges before turning a Caribbean blue-green surrounding the small amount of brownish-green that circled his pupil. In real life, just a casual glance from him would be enough to turn her into a puddle of Angel perfume but in her dream, she wasn't as shy. She grabbed his face and pressed her lips against his. Her fingers ran through his hair while his hands ran up and down her back, his hands so tender and soft that she moaned...

 _Buzz-Buzz-Buzz_

 _Buzz-Buzz-Buzz_

"Ehmagawd!" Alicia huffed, rolling over and propping herself up on her elbows. She grabbed her phone from the charger with a furious swipe. Didn't people realize she needed her beauty sleep?

Scrolling through her messages she realized it was the group chat with the PC. As she suspected the other three girls were sending a flurry of messages and Alicia could hardly read one response when five more popped up at the bottom.

But before Alicia could scroll back and find out what they were freaking out about, her phone started to ring:

 **Claire Lyons would like to Facetime…**

Alicia quickly accepted it and had to cover her ears because the second Claire's face appeared on the screen she let out a scream fit for a horror movie. "Eh-ma-gawd Kuh-laire, can you nawt?" Alicia felt a little bad about using the nick-name Claire had just recently admitted to hating, but only a little. The other girl was aware that Alicia had spent the previous night out late, and was _very_ aware of the fact that Alicia needed at least nine hours of sleep.

"Sorry!" Claire was about to pick her nails but thought better of it. A small surge of pride spread through Alicia's chest as she noticed that her friend's cuticles and manicure were still intact. Thanks to Alicia, Claire had finally learned the basic dos and don'ts of nail care. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. Their old alpha, Massie, had never been able to get Claire to break the habit in all the time that the blond had lived in the brunette's guest house. "But you haven't been answering!"

Claire squinted and brought the camera closer to her face. "Did you _just_ wake up?!"

"Obviously!" Alicia snapped and pointed to the dark circles that were surely under her eyes. Looking at the small box in the corner that showed her, and her suspicions proved to be right. She looked like a raccoon. Staying out until dawn on a Sunday night probably hadn't been the brightest idea, but it had been so worth it.

"Have you seen Massie's snap?"

"Really, Kuh-laire?" She rolled her brown eyes in annoyance. "You need to get over your guilt and _move awn_!"

Massie was currently sitting in first-class thousands of feet above the Atlantic. They had made it through another visit without their secret getting out. With Massie heading back to London the rest of the PC could finally take a deep breath and relax. But no... Kuh-laire had to take them on a guilt trip every time Massie tagged them on Instagram, sent them a DM, or a stupid little Snapchat.

"It's not that!" Claire's icy blue eyes were in full panic mode. "Leesh, Code Black."

She tried whispering assuring thoughts in her head. That there was no way Massie could have found out. There was no way someone could have told her…Right?

Alicia swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "What does she want?" She pretended to inspect her nails, praying that Massie was just sending pictures from the plane before takeoff.

"Look at Snapchat!" Claire ordered and Alicia obeyed.

A few people had snapped her since she went to sleep in the very early hours of the morning, including her ex, Josh Hotz. But sure enough, Massie's name and bitmoji were among the first on the list. She tapped on it and was confused by what popped up on her screen. It was a beautiful brick mansion with big with columns and tall elegant windows. Wasn't Massie halfway to England by now? She finally read the words at the bottom of the picture and stopped breathing.

"Ehmagawd," Alicia whispered, her face draining of all color and becoming numb. She whispered the same thing over and over again as if it were a chant that would take her back to the great dream she had just been having instead of living in her current nightmare.

"She's back!" Claire whisper-yelled almost as if a serial killer had just been about to return to their lair but decided against it, thirsty for more blood.

She was dead, so completely and utterly dead.

"Does she know?" Alicia demanded, finally able to catch her breath and form words even though her mind was running a million miles a minute.

"No, not yet." Claire let out a small sigh of relief but still remained tense. "I'm adding Dylan and Kristen."

The faces of Dylan Marvil and Kristen Gregory popped up, all looking just as panicked as Claire. Alicia's head was still spinning so much that she didn't even notice that Dylan looked to be sitting on a plane.

"Ok, so what exactly is going on?" She asked her group calmly but firmly, snapping back to alpha mode. She needed answers and she needed them now.

"Massie moved back!" Dylan shrieked, her hands running through her red hair. "We're all going to be done, done, and done when she finds out the truth!"

Alicia's initial reaction to Claire's call had just been a small amount of nerves compared to the terror she felt now. The old cliché of seeing her life flash before her eyes actually happened. For a split second she saw a four-year-old version of herself all dressed up in a giant fluffy pink boa and her mom's oversized heels, then she saw herself meeting the PC for the first time at Merri Lee's New Year's Yves party. A flash of her trying to start her own clique in seventh grade with Duh-livia Ryan and of her kissing Josh under the bleachers made her cringe. But then their previous year as freshmen at BOP also quickly flashed on the projection screen in her brain that was playing her lifetime movie. Truly, it had been the best year of her life.

Her fear quickly evaporated and turned to anger. It wasn't fair! After years of yearning and scheming for alpha status, it had finally been peacefully handed to her! Leading the Pretty Committee had filled her with a sense of pride that she had never known. Even when she was up on stage dancing with the spotlight on her, it was nothing compared to the feeling of being the other girls' alpha. Now it was going to be ripped away from her after a measly year and a half.

"What are we going to do?" Kristen's eyes looked to her, pleading to help her carve out a fate that didn't include being thrown into social exile.

Alicia's mind chaotically calculated every possible outcome, none ending well for any of them in the end, especially her. She could hide a relationship, but how could she possibly hide her _other_ secret? "We tell her the truth."

* * *

 **Tell me what you guys think!**


	4. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."- John F. Kennedy**

* * *

 **The New Block Estate**

 **Driveway**

 **Wednesday, August 28th**

 **1:25 P.M.**

"Thanks for the ride, Dean!" Claire said as she slid over the buttery black leather seat to the open door of the Riveras' limousine. Dean replied that it was no problem with a small smile on his face. She knew for a fact that no one in the Rivera family ever muttered one word of appreciation to their faithful driver. It was a small wonder that Claire was his favorite passenger.

Claire shut the door behind her and joined the rest of the Pretty Committee standing in awe. Even Alicia and Dylan seemed to be impressed with the new estate.

"I can't believe this is her new house," Dylan muttered what Claire herself had thought.

After a year and a half of separation from Massie, it was hard to believe that she was back in the States. What was even harder to believe was that her family had purchased an estate in their old neighborhood. The giant Georgian mansion looked like it belonged on the cover of a home and garden magazine, the kind that her mom bought for "inspiration". Not only was it beautiful, but it looked as if the occupants were very important people. Whenever Claire passed by on her bike ride to Cam's she had always imagined some celebrity family or CEO living there.

"It's even bigger than the last one," Kristen said as they walked towards the front steps. "It's not like they need a lot of space."

It wasn't a castle in England, but the address was still a luxurious status symbol. A behemoth home designed by some long-dead famous architect was about as close to a castle as you could get in Westchester, NY. And Claire was beginning to suspect that the Blocks specifically chose the fabulous estate for its grandiose style.

After the Blocks had lost all their money, their snobby friends had quickly ditched them like last season's Manolos. William and Kendra had been shunned from the country club and had lost all their exclusive memberships. Meanwhile, Massie had been in a debt-induced depression. She had worried endlessly about the whole school discovering her family's financial woes, and for good reason. If anyone at OCD had found out, Massie would have been eaten alive by all the girls that were vying for her spot as Alpha. It was why the PC had fiercely protected her secret. Thankfully, the Blocks had quickly regained their fortune. Claire wasn't sure if their old family friends knew about the castle outside of London but knew one thing for sure... that the Block's new enviable estate confirmed that they were back and better than ever.

Claire's icy blue orbs took in the house and she knew that there was a swirl of different emotions brewing in them. Of course, she was ecstatic to have Massie back, had dreamed of it happening since the day Mass had broken the news to them. But her guilt ate away at her happiness until only trembling fear was left.

Since the day the PC had stepped foot in the halls of BOP Claire was terrified of Massie finding out the truth. Would she hate her for repeatedly lying? Renounce their friendship? Probably, which was why she had never spilled her guts. But oh how she had wanted to over the course of the year. There had been numerous times where Claire had broken down and almost _called_ Massie, but the PC had always talked her out of it. One time Alicia had to slap her across the face to bring her out of her remorseful hysterics.

Just as Alicia reached for the button of the doorbell, the door flung open revealing Massie. She stepped back slightly so the PC could enter and then threw up her arms, expecting them to rush forward and group hug her just as they had at the airport all those times she came to visit. Claire knew that Massie was waiting for them to tell her how happy they were that she had moved back, that they had missed their true alpha.

But this wasn't the baggage claim at JFK, and this wasn't a short visit that they had to get through. It was until permanent.

No one moved an inch. They stared at her with blank expressions, and Claire had to fight a gulp. She shuffled nervously on her feet, her gut filling with dread.

Seeing Massie in person only heightened her guilt levels. It was easy to lie over texts but not in person! The light and excitement faded in Massie's amber eyes as she dropped her arms, realizing they weren't going to shower her with love for their returned alpha made Claire almost grip the doorframe from the pain in her stomach.

"Okay, I know I should've told you guys that we weren't just staying at The Plaza but _living_ there while we were trying to find a house, which we obviously did." Massie gave a little ta-da motion and the PC's eyes roamed over the grand foyer's wide hardwood floors, beautiful paneling, and curved staircase. The room was bare except for the moving boxes pushed up against the wall but it still looked exquisite to Claire. "I just didn't want to get anyone's hopes up until we had a house of our own."

Claire's stomach twisted with a sharp jab. Massie was rambling in guilt and apologizing for a tiny little white lie compared to the gigantic secret they were there to confess. Claire wanted to run to Massie with open arms and jump up and down screaming that she was officially back on U.S. soil just like she had whenever she daydreamed of Massie moving back. But instead, Claire picked at her nails for the first time all summer, ruining her manicure. There was no doubt that Alicia would scold her for it later, but at the moment Claire couldn't find it in her to care. What was the point of worrying about her nails when Massie was most likely about to kill them?

"We're definitely surprised!" Dylan said, nervously twisting a piece of luscious red hair around her index finger.

"Yeah, but totally stoked!" Kristen tried to smile but it came off as looking like bad menstrual cramps.

Massie's amber eyes danced between the four girls standing before her, eyeing them suspiciously before walking to the stairs and coldly ordering them to follow.

Claire took in a shaky breath. Massie knew something was fishy, and it wasn't Dylan's tuna breath.

Claire exchanged a nervous glance with Kristen and Dylan. Alicia quickly followed after Massie and for a quick second Claire could recognize a look of dread but she quickly regained her composure and continued to stoically trail after Massie.

The higher up the steps they went, the more Claire could feel her throat dry up and close off. If they had just been honest with Massie from the beginning none of this would be happening!

They probably would've been truthful if it hadn't been for that ridiculous promise they had all made in the Hamptons...

When they reached the landing of the second floor Massie led them through a large archway and down a hall filled with more boxes. She opened the first door on the left to reveal what Claire knew to be Massie's room by all of the boxes written with **MASSIE'S ROOM** in thick black sharpie. Many had the names of designers and their collections written on them and Bean was sleeping on a pile of clothes next to a box that said **DONATE- Claire/Kristen**.

"Have you guys thought about what you're wearing for the first day?" Massie asked, sitting at the window bench on the opposite side of the room. Claire's mind went back to all the times the PC used to gather around her old bay window, back when things had been so much simpler and their biggest worries were about lip-kissing, not losing their virginities.

Dylan's eyes widened at the mention of school and Alicia had to dig her elbow into the red head's ribs to remind her to remain calm.

"Uh, no not yet." Alicia walked over to a door that Claire guessed was to the closet. "But you know me, it'll be Ralph."

"Not a clue yet, but I'm sure your wardrobe will give me inspiration!" Dylan quickly followed Alicia in a desperate act to get out of the conversation.

Alicia opened the door and stepped into the walk-in-closet that already contained Massie's most precious garments hung up with care. "Where's the massiequin?"

"Ugh, the moving company dropped it!" Massie rolled her eyes. "But I grew two inches, so I needed a new one anyway. It should be here in a few days."

Claire thought she had noticed that Massie seemed a little taller but simply dismissed it, rationalizing that she hadn't seen her in so long that Massie was bound to look a little different. But her legs seemed slightly longer, and so did her torso. Massie's breasts had also grown from the last time she had been in New York during Christmas, going from barley there A-cups to fuller B-cups. Meanwhile, Claire had only gone up in shoe size.

"So I have something to tell you guys…" Massie was digging through a box next to her as Claire sat down at Massie's bed.

Dylan and Alicia emerged from the closet. Alicia took a deep breath and said, "We also have something we need to tell you, but you first."

"Well before I came here for the summer James and I had a long talk…" The PC rushed to sit before Massie and urged her to go on. "And we decided that we're going to give long distance a try."

"Awwwwww!" The girls sang. Claire had only ever seen pictures of James on social media and had only ever "talked" to him once over Facetime, but he seemed very charming and treated Massie well so Claire had decided she liked him as long as her friend did.

"There's more." Massie fished out a Tiffany frame with a picture of James and Massie both in their school uniforms standing in front of KISS with his arm slung around her shoulder and kissing her temple. It was staged, but sweet nonetheless. Claire was shocked at the sight of the picture in the frame, she had never seen it on Massie's Instagram or anywhere else for that matter. "His cousins live in New York and he'll be visiting next weekend!"

"We _finally_ get to meet him?!" Claire asked excitedly, forgetting all about the secret that they were there to confess.

She had heard all about James and had even talked to him while Facetiming Massie, but they had only exchanged polite greetings and small talk, nothing to really help her get to know him. And talking to someone through a screen was way different than live and in the flesh. Would she get a better view of his copper eyes that Massie always gushed about? Get to hear his native British accent without listening to it through a speaker?

"Yes!" Massie said, her amber eyes bright as if their tense greeting hadn't happened just minutes before.

James had been Massie's first friend in England and the first boy Claire had heard her admit to possibly loving. Derrington, Dempsey, and Landon had only been crushes, and Massie had fretted over simply kissing them on the lips. James was Massie's first real boyfriend, possibly her first love. It was the first time in her life that things could get a lot more serious than a simple make-out session.

"Not fair," Dylan picked up the picture of Massie and James and pouted. "Everyone is about to be in a relationship except me!"

Claire and Alicia's eyes widened and they met each other's gaze in a panic. Kristen pinched Dylan in the arm and the redhead finally realized what she had done. Dylan's big mouth had exposed them, they had to tell Massie now! Maybe it was for the best. They desperately needed to come clean and prepare Massie for what she was going to walk into on Monday… or there would be even more hell to pay later.

"Huh?" Massie's freshly waxed brows furrowed. "I thought Claire and I were the only ones with boyfriends?"

"Uh, yeah, but- we didn't tell you that-" Alicia stammered out while Claire mentally braced herself for Massie's imminent fury. "We forgot to tell you that Josh and I have been hanging out lately…"

Claire's first reaction would have been letting her jaw fall to the hardwood floor, but the actress in her forced her face to remain neutral as if this were old news to her. She wanted to slap Alicia for not telling Massie the truth, for adding another lie to the already heaping pile. Claire was tired of keeping her best friend in the dark, she deserved to know the truth.

"Yeah, and Dempsey and I have been practicing together and have also been talking about getting back together." Kristen shrugged, her face betraying nothing since at least that was a half-truth. Kristen had told them about her resumed soccer sessions on the roof of the Pinewood with her ex but it was clear that Kris just wanted to remain friends with him, and he seemed perfectly fine with that.

Massie looked back and forth between Alicia and Kristen, taking this new information in. Claire could tell by the slight squinting of Massie's amber eyes that she didn't fully believe it, but accepted their lies anyway.

"Well Dyl, we'll find you a boyfriend this year, I promise." Massie smiled sincerely.

"I already found him." Dylan proudly announced and the girls, Claire included, once again were distracted by boy news. Had Dylan met someone while she was in the Caribbean? "And his name is Derrick Harr-"

Kristen groaned, Alicia rolled her eyes, and Claire and Massie grabbed the fluffy pillows off Massie's bed and chucked them at Dylan's head to hopefully knock some sense into her.

For the entire duration of their freshman year of high school, the entire PC had been subjected to the drama of Derrington's tumultuous relationship. They had listened to Dylan cry about their breakups to only go on disgusted rants when they were together. The cycle of breaking up and making up had not only taken its toll on Derrick and Dylan but their friends as well. Cam had even admitted to Claire that all of Derrick's friends were sick of his relationship with her. Apparently, over the summer the guys had convinced him to go on a date with one of Josh's cousins and thankfully he hasn't said a word about Dylan since.

"Gawd Dyl, I swear if you take him back I'll make it look like you pooped your pants on your family's reality show!" Alicia plopped down on Massie's bed, making herself comfortable. Claire glared at her and Alicia gave her a shrug. She was going along with Dylan's distraction to avoid what they were there for.

"Mass, there's something-" Claire started to blurt out but Alicia slapped her hand over her mouth while Massie rummaged through her closet for something.

"Shut it." Alicia snapped and the rest of the girls gave her their ugliest looks. They were _all_ backing out… Claire was the only one that wanted Massie to know the truth. "We'll tell her, right now is just not the time."

"Then when will be the right time?" Claire whisper hissed. "When she's walking up BOP's steps?"

Kristen's glare quickly fell apart. "Maybe Claire is right, we should just come clean and prep her for you know who!" Kristen suggested and Claire was about to press the issue now that she had an ally but Massie came out of her closet with an armful of clothes.

She dumped them in the Claire&Kristen box before asking Dylan to help grab some more. What came out were piles and piles of Chanel, Versace, YSL, Chloé, Alice+Olivia, MK, Burberry, Max Mara, Gucci, Prada, and even more designers whose price tags usually made Claire's head spin. Massie told them to take anything they liked while she debated on keeping a pair of Manolos, ultimately throwing them into Kristen and Claire's box.

"Are you sure you don't want some of these?" Claire sorted through the pile and held up a little black Chanel dress. She recognized it from one of Massie's Instagram stories, she had worn it to some upscale restaurant in London when James' parents had invited her to dinner.

"Yeah, I'm not too attached," Massie said as if the garments were last season, which they definitely were not. Even Claire, who shopped at Target, H&M, and Forever 21, knew that the luxurious fabrics in a heap on the floor were still considered new and in style.

Claire's eyes met Kristen's, a slow smirk spreading on both of their faces before they pounced on the pile of hand-me-downs. Where else would they get designer duds for free?

"It's like Christmas!" Claire sang, hugging a Gucci blouse to her chest. Truth be told even on Christmas Claire didn't receive such expensive clothing. She was lucky to get pajama sets from Victoria's Secret, and the nicest present she had ever received was a black Michael Kors crossbody. She was pretty sure the blouse she held now was worth way more than the purse.

"It's better than Christmas!" Kristen said, throwing a pile of Brunello Cucinelli scarves up in the air. They floated back down gracefully on top of their heads, and one fell on top of Bean, blocking the pup's vision. The little black pug frantically started running in circles, causing the PC to break into a fit of giggles.

"I can't believe you're getting rid of all those clothes," Alicia said, putting her hand to her heart and looking at the pile with pity. Claire and Kristen exchanged a secret eye roll. Alicia was bound to do the same thing after Fashion Week to free up room in her closet.

"Yeah, well, I was seen twice in some of them so they need to go." Massie plucked the scarf off of Bean and threw it to Kristen. "Besides, I figured that they would be more loved and appreciated by the less fortunate."

Everyone's mouths dropped open. Had Massie called her and Kristen less fortunate? She had kicked the other box labeled charity while she said it, but it was clear of what she thought of the two girls.

"What?" Massie's eyes darted between all of them, still confused. She looked down at Kristen and Claire on the floor, taking in their mixed emotions of hurt, betrayal, and anger. She gasped and horror spread across her face as she realized what she had done. "Ehmagawd, I soooooo did nawt mean you guys! I meant the LBR poor people that shop at Goodwill and Salvation Army!"

Tears started to well in Kristen's eyes, and Claire's stung not only in hurt but also a little resentment. It was no secret (among the PC) that Kristen shopped at Goodwill and usually, Claire would join her. Being spotted there was social suicide at BOP, but they had managed to find some really cute designer clothes that had either never been worn or once or twice. Their finds had given them more pride than any purchase at Target or Marshalls could have ever made them feel.

Back in middle school, Claire and Kristen had been treated like the charity cases of the PC. Endless poor jokes, hand-me-downs, and having their friends pay for them. Massie, Dylan, and Alicia had always gotten everything they asked for, and mostly never really had to ask. Their parents had given them no limits, and when the Blocks lost their money Claire and Kristen had thought that Massie would finally know what it was like not to have everything she ever wanted. They had thought Massie had learned her lesson when the Block fortune ran dry, thought that it had knocked her off of her insanely high pedestal. But apparently not.

Claire glared at Massie but she only shrugged it off. "Claire, you would look ah-mazing in this!" Massie pulled out a D&G floral cami and held it up to Claire's torso. "You should wear it for the first day."

Claire looked down at the top, noticing it still had the price tag on it. She held it up to herself and looked in the mirror, not sure how she felt about it.

"Oh, and that reminds me." Massie announced, "Everyone needs to send me a picture of your outfits before Monday for my official seal of approval."

Kristen and Dylan's brows shot up. Alicia barely concealed her scoff for a cough, and Claire remained frozen.

 **The Rivera Estate**

 **Alicia's Bedroom**

 **Friday, August 30th**

 **8:01 P.M.**

Alicia straightened the crystal bowl containing m&ms (a Claire and Dylan staple), making sure it was in line and perfectly spaced with the other bowls containing Massie's low-fat yogurt covered pretzels and Kristen's power protein almonds. She turned around and made sure the five sleeping bags resembled a flower, each one a different colored petal radiating out from the circle of magazines and paper face masks in the middle.

"Thanks, Mrs. Rivera!" a faux-sweet voice rang out from the other side of her bedroom door, and less than a second later the door swung open revealing the cause of stress that was currently making her chin break out.

Claire, Kristen, and Dylan filed into the room after Massie and deposited their overnight bags before diving towards the small snack table. Alicia's eyes drifted to Massie's purple sleeping bag and noticed that compared to the rest of the girls, Massie had brought double the supplies. Not only was her black leather Saint Laurent duffle bag fully stocked, but a large Chanel bag was overflowing with boxes and tissue paper.

"Are you moving in because your house is being renovated or something?" It was an entirely serious question despite the sound of it. In middle school, Massie had made copies of all of their house keys and had even tested their homes for livability after her parents had announced their move to England.

The whole reason the Friday night sleepover was at her place instead of Massie's was that the Block estate was still in the process of being unpacked. But Alicia didn't mind, she figured it would probably be her last time hosting for a while. Once the Block Estate was up to Kendra's standards Massie would most likely take them over. Because the alpha always hosted the sleepover, unless she chose not to.

And Massie was the alpha now…

Alicia's heart sank at the thought. She had been so close to the top. She had paid her dues as a freshman at the bottom of the totem pole, had done what she had to do to survive, to make sure the Pretty Committee survived. They had survived the freshman year from hell, all because of her leadership.

"No." Massie leaned down and grabbed the giant Chanel shopping bag. Inside, boxes wrapped with giant purple bows begged to be torn open. "They're presents."

"PREZZ-ENTS!" Dylan burped, walking right over the facemasks Alicia had laid out in the middle of the circle of sleeping bags.

Dylan quickly ripped the bow off while Massie handed out the rest. Alicia watched with dismay as some of the glitter from Claire's box fell to the spotless wood floor. She made a mental note to have Rosa, their housekeeper, vacuum it up in the morning. The last thing Alicia wanted in her room was a reminder of her new beta status.

"Cute!" Dylan held up a pair of emerald green silk pajamas with her initials monogrammed on the breast pocket.

"I got them all in your favorite colors!" Massie announced, clapping excitedly.

Sure enough, Claire's was baby blue, Kristen's was black, and when Alicia flipped the lid of her box it was pink… her _old_ favorite color.

"Wow, this is so…" Alicia racked her brain for something useful to say but she was overcome by the need to puke. The bright, cheery pink silk in her hands looked disgustingly similar to a Yankees hate buried deep in the clutches of her closet. "Thoughtful."

"Yeah," Claire agreed, but unlike her, actually meant it. "Thank you, Massie."

 _Knock-Knock_

Her bedroom door opened once again, but this time it was just her housekeeper with their newly traditional (thanks to her) sleepover smoothies from Westchester's hottest juice and fro-yo café, Loose Juice.

"Your smoothies!" Rosa sang-song and set the tray down on the low table in the corner of her room that was surrounded by bright pillows on the floor. Pendant lamps hung up above, and the intricate hand-carved wooden room divider her dad had bought for her while in Marrakesh provided a backdrop. It was the perfect place for the PC to sit and gossip before their night really started. Alicia loved that corner not only because it enhanced the Moroccan theme of her room, but because Massie didn't have a special place to hold meetings anymore now that the Blocks no longer had their horse barn- turned spa.

"Thank you, Rosa." Alicia dismissed her, waiting until she closed the door and heard her feet walking down the hall before dashing over to her bookcase. Behind her giant, unopened copy of a selection of Shakespeare plays was a fifth of Grey Goose that she had stolen from her parent's fully stocked basement bar.

She plopped down on a red pillow on the floor and grabbed her peach-mango smoothie, pulled the lid off and carefully poured in a shot worth of vodka. The other girls followed with Massie trailing behind, eyeing the smoothies suspiciously.

"Sorry, Mass." Alicia handed out the smoothies to their correct recipient. "I didn't know what flavor you'd like, so I had Dean pick up a variety."

Once the last cup was handed to Claire on her right, there were four smaller cups left on the tray.

"That's okay, I don't want the extra calories," Massie said, looking down and inspecting her nails before giving her the same bright smile she gave to any adult when lying. "But thanks anyway."

"More for me!" Dylan grabbed the strawberry-banana and the triple berry containers before Claire and Kristen quickly snatched the other two.

"You sure, Mass?" Claire offered her the one she took. "Earning gossip points is extra satisfying when you're giggly." But Massie smiled with no teeth and shook her head.

"Since when did you drink?" Massie watched in shock as Claire made herself a spiked smoothie.

"Since the St. Patrick's day party at Plovert's dad's house," Dylan informed before taking a big sip.

"Ew, you went to a party at Pervert's?!" Massie squealed in disgust.

Plovert's older cousins had thankfully been on their way to Boston from UPenn when they had stopped by while Plovert's dad was conveniently away on business. They had agreed to supply his party with not only the best green beer but the best bud in the New York metropolitan area. The party was as green as promised, and it had practically made Plovert a god at BOP.

"Um ya, the whole school was there." Dylan continued to talk about the fateful party. "They only served green beer, so thankfully it only took a few to get me tipsy."

"Dyl, you were practically tripping over yourself!" Claire laughed.

"Yeah, but so were you." Kristen pointed out. "You were so fucked up that you fell into the pool and took Cam down with you!"

"It was the first time any of us drank, and we all got to experience our first hangovers the next day." Alicia felt the need to explain. The St. Patrick's Day party had been wild, and the PC had made embarrassments of themselves. "We've been spiking our smoothies and drinking whatever we can get our hands on all summer to build up our tolerance."

"You plan on letting yourselves get out of control like that again?" Massie snapped, crossing her arms across her chest.

"No, that's why practice makes perfect." Kristen bit her eco-friendly paper straw.

Massie's eyes darted around the circle before she grabbed one of the smoothies Dylan had taken and poured herself a little less than a shot and took a sip. And it was then that a realization slapped Alicia across the face.

Massie wasn't upset that they were drinking, it was because she felt left out. They had made a memory at Plovert's without her and their new Friday night tradition was a reminder of that she hadn't been there for their first drunken night together. She was jealous that she had missed all of the shenanigans that had ensued, the gross and strange bonding of holding each other's hair back while they vomited their guts out.

"So why did you never tell me about it?" Massie said after another sip.

"It's not exactly something we want to relive," Claire mumbled. The video of Claire and Cam falling in the pool was still all over Twitter and Instagram.

"It wasn't all bad!" Dylan pointed out. "Alicia met-"

"A really cute dog!" Claire jumped in. Alicia discreetly kicked Dylan under the table before shooting Claire an appreciative glance, but it still didn't stop Massie's perfectly sculpted brows from furrowing in suspicion. Her palms immediately started to sweat. This was Dylan's second time almost opening her big fat mouth and Massie was very observant.

It was only a matter of time before her secret got out.

 **The Rivera Estate**

 **Alicia's Bedroom**

 **Friday, August 30th**

 **11:11 P.M.**

While Massie, Dylan, and Kristen were changing into the matching pajama sets, Claire and Alicia sat cross-legged on their sleeping bags, phones in hand. Both were scrolling through Instagram, the ex-alpha and her unofficially appointed beta whispering amongst themselves.

"When are we going to tell Massie about you know who?" Claire whispered the question that Alicia knew she had been dying to ask all night.

Speaking of the devil, the image of a glamorous brunette posing on a balcony in Paris with a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower in the background was on her feed. The graceful grey-eyed beauty had a knowing smirk on her face as if she were looking straight at Alicia.

"What if we don't?" Alicia continued to look at the girl's smirk. Now it just felt like a taunt, as if she knew that Alicia wasn't the sophomore alpha.

"But Massie thinks that everything is just going to fall back into place and be exactly like it was when she left!" Claire's eyes widened in panic. "She expects to waltz in and be proclaimed the alpha!"

"Don't you think that's a problem though?" Alicia snapped, finally unable to keep it in anymore. "Things aren't the same as they were in eighth grade, things have changed!"

And the biggest difference was that Alicia was no longer willing to just be swept aside. It had been fine to pass over the power for Massie's short vacations to the States, but Alicia refused to let go of it permanently. She had worked too hard to just give it all up.

It was time they all took a stand. They were no longer the scared middle schoolers that aimlessly followed a power-hungry alpha. They had all grown and matured without Massie, and it was time that she caught up.

They had to teach her a lesson. One she wouldn't ever forget.

"Let her go through what we did last year." Alicia finally said. "We had stormed in there as if we owned the place, and we were socially shunned for it!"

They would have stayed in social Siberia if it weren't for Alicia, and it was all because she had made a deal with the devil.

Not only did she have the guarantee that she'd be proclaimed the alpha of her grade once again, but that she'd be _the_ Alpha's successor once she graduated in June. And once you were a junior, you often carried the title to your senior year (unless overthrown). She'd be the Alpha until she left for college.

But did that still apply if Massie was under the illusion that the title belonged to her?

"There's no way that Massie can win against _her_." Alicia shoved the image of the stunning beauty in Claire's face.

Claire shoved the phone away from her face. "And what if she kills us for not only lying but for breaking our oath?"

Alicia stilled at the mention of that night in the Hamptons.

The summer between eighth and ninth, they had been all been invited by Dylan to Merri Lee's Hampton house just before Massie was supposed to go back to England. For four days they had all been inseparable, spending every waking second together. They had shopped in East Hampton, enjoyed the spa, and spent their days relaxing by the pool or on the beach. But on their last night, they had been on the beach in front of a bonfire. Everything had been light and almost giddy even with their inevitable separation looming.

Until Massie had stood up and with the flames reflecting in her eyes, the brunet's amber eyes had turned to a molten copper as she recited another one of her cheesy yet inspirational poems about friendship and staying on top- no matter the cost. She had convinced them that they were all-powerful, that true alphas could make the impossible possible. So she had sworn to overthrow her BR (British Rival), Zara, and the Pretty Committee had vowed to overcome whatever or whoever came in their way between them and their rightful spots at the top of BOP's A-list.

But only one person had kept their promise.

They had lost their battle and faked their victory.

But Alicia's guilt over the deception had quickly evaporated. Massie always took her oaths too far. If it weren't for that childish vow, they wouldn't have lied and Massie wouldn't be clueless to a dangerous threat.

"She can't." A smirk started to spread across Alicia's face. "Massie wasn't exactly nice or close to anyone in middle school besides us. Without the Pretty Committee, she's her worst fear…"

"…A friendless LBR." Claire finished for her, breathless at the realization.

"Right now her power is just an illusion, she has none." Alicia explained further, "She can't do anything about it."

"Just because she can't defriend us doesn't mean that it's not wrong!" Claire continued to be the voice of truth and honesty, and it was honestly starting to give Alicia a headache. Why couldn't Claire just let Massie get her comeuppance?

"What's not wrong?"

Alicia and Claire whipped around to the sight of Dylan in her new silk pajamas, Kristen right behind her.

"Where's Mass?" Claire asked anxiously as if what they were discussing was treason.

"Talking to James in the bathroom," Kristen said before asking her question again.

"Alicia doesn't want to tell Massie!" Claire whisper-yelled.

"She practically called you and Kristen poor the other day!" Alicia pointed out, remembering what Massie had said in her bedroom earlier that week.

Kristen flinched and Claire's blue orbs stabbed with pain at the mention of it, but she still didn't back down. "She'd be facing the same fate as we did a year ago."

"Maybe that would be a good thing." Dylan shrugged and sat down on her sleeping bag, picking up one of the magazines in the middle as if this were a casual conversation, and not as if they were deciding how their year would start. "We learned from our mistakes and earned our way back to the top."

Alicia wanted to point out that none of that wouldn't have happened if it hadn't of been for her but bit her tongue. At least Dylan was backing her up.

"Maybe it'll finally knock her off her high horse," Kristen mumbled, also grabbing one of the magazines. But the title, _Stylista,_ on the front in big bold red letters made Alicia's heart rate shoot up at yet another reminder of the girl who was sitting on Briarwood-Octavian Prep's throne.

Claire's eyes were also transfixed on the glossy pages in Kristen's hands as she said, "Don't you think this trans-Atlantic move is already enough on her? Shouldn't we warn her about trying to fight an uphill battle she's destined to lose?"

"No." All three girls said icily at the same time.

Claire's eyes turned to Alicia, silently pleading for her to change her mind. She knew what the blonde was trying to do, to make her remember the beginning of freshman year. It worked.

Memories came flooding back in an instant. The PC storming into BOP's auditorium, fashionably late as always so everyone could see their fabulous outfits. As she had walked in, burning smoky eyes glared at her, a promise of death in them. That promise had been fulfilled after Alicia had publically challenged her. After that, it had been rock bottom for the former alpha. Less than two months into her high school career she had been labeled a Loser Beyond Repair, and she had certainly felt like one.

But it had all started because she had acted on Massie's advice and insistence. And after she had been buried alive, it had been Alicia who had not only dug herself out of that grave but her friends too.

"Massie needs to find out the hard way." Alicia finally stated coldly, her eyes shooting daggers at Claire to prove her point that the decision was final.

As if on cue, Massie walked through the door and apologized for taking so long. Alicia effortlessly changed her expression from serious to friendly, plastering a bright smile on her face. She was going to have to be patient and sneakier than ever if she wanted to take what was promised to her…

 **Briarwood-Octavian Preparatory School**

 **The Rivera's Limo**

 **Monday, September 2nd**

 **8:06 A.M.**

Massie was checking her reflection in her Chanel compact, inspecting herself one last time as Dean inched the limo forward in the backed-up drop-off lane. When they had picked her up she had given him specific instructions to make sure that they were front and center when they got out of the limo. She had their entrance perfectly planned so that they would be getting out at the curb in front of the giant majestic fountain in front of the curving stairs of the main entrance.

It was where everyone hung out before and after school hours, or so the PC had told her. Naturally, it made the best place for a first impression.

With every passing second, Massie's body hummed and prickly thorns turned in her stomach. She had to pinch her thigh under her black Prada belted leather miniskirt to get her mind off of her nerves. She hadn't seen anyone from OCD and Briarwood other than the four girls inside the limo with her since she had moved. Would people even notice her? Would she be recognized or be forced to endure another year as "the new girl"?

The AC blasted, sending a reassuring shiver down her spine. She was Massie Block, alpha of the Pretty Committee, and as soon as she walked through those gleaming carved wood doors, she would be _the_ Alpha. This was her school, and no one could make her feel insecure or inferior.

Her attention snapped to the PC. Claire and Kristen were doing as Massie had just done by checking over their makeup once again as they inched forward in the morning school traffic. Alicia and Dylan were busy playing with filters on Snapchat "Who wants to be rated first?"

Alicia dropped her phone in her lap and shot up her hand. "I do!"

Massie grabbed a SmartWater from the minifridge as her prop for a mic.

"Alicia is wearing a black Ralph Lauren foil-print racerback crop top with a blazer over it, and black washed cropped skinny jeans from Ralph, of course," Massie announced. "Annnnd a Gucci belt, Suzanne Kalan turquoise and diamond studs with the matching bracelet and ring. Congrats, you're a nine-point eight."

"Yay." Alicia clapped to herself with a satisfied smile as Massie turned to Dylan.

"Dylan is in an orange embellished Philip Lim jersey mini tank dress, a Veronica Beard denim vest, and white with orange trimming Tabitha Simmons block heels," Massie said into her waterbottle-mic. "Good job Dyl, Nine point seven."

"Do you think Derrick will think I'm a ten?"

"Who cares?" Massie rolled her eyes. "The only person's opinion that matters is-."

"Yours!" Claire cheerily butted in with supportive nods from Kristen and Alicia.

"No, actually mine," Massie smirked before her amber eyes landed on her next target.

"Kristen is wearing a strapless grey and white striped Veronica Beard jumpsuit, and white K. Jacques sandals." Just as she had instructed during the Friday night sleepover, Alicia had picked out Kristen's first-day outfit because Massie had known there wouldn't be anything acceptable in Kristen's closet. There was no way Massie could be seen walking in on her first day with someone wearing anything from last season or Gawd forbid Target. "Nine point five."

Kristen clapped to herself and Claire gulped when Massie's gaze landed on her.

"Kuh-laire, what happened to the Dolce I leant you?" Massie snapped. She had been waiting since she had first stepped in the limo and saw Claire and Alicia sitting together with their phones in hand. They hadn't even bothered to cover that they were texting while sitting right next to each other.

"It just didn't fit right." Claire shrugged. "And Alicia offered this instead."

Of course, the outfit screamed Alicia but still looked ah-mazing times ten on Claire. The ecru Jonathan Simkhai mixed knit lace puff sleeve bustier top with high rise medium wash Stella McCartney skinny jeans and the Gucci espadrilles made the look casual yet sophisticated. It made Massie want to rip it off Claire's body and shred it to tiny threads.

Since arriving back in the States, she had noticed that Claire and Alicia had seemed much closer than they had when Massie had visited during Christmas break. They had their heads pressed together the entire time during the sleepover on Friday night, and whenever they weren't together they were in constant communication through their phones. And Massie hadn't missed the looks that they passed to each other, able to read each other like they had a secret language. Kind of like how she used to be with Claire, and it made a painful knot pull in her stomach.

"Well, you _would_ have been a nine-point eight in the outfit I gave you." Massie eyed the brunette and blonde. "But this will do, congrats you're a nine-point four."

"Rate me!" Massie demanded, posing the best she could while sitting down.

Alicia took Massie's waterbottle/microphone and spoke into it clearly and enunciated every word like the professional school reporter that she was. "Massie is looking exquisite in a Balmain white V-neck tank with gold metal straps, Versace denim shirt, Prada black leather miniskirt, and black Prada heel sandals."

"Ten!" Kristen called out.

"Ten." Claire and Dylan replied.

"Ten!" Alicia confirmed.

"Perfect." She was ready for this, well at least she appeared to be so outwardly.

On the inside, Massie was screaming until her lungs were hoarse. Every shred of confidence slipped away with every inch forward.

Once she got out of the limo, there was no going back...

Briarwood-Octavian Preparatory School, the most exclusive private school on the East Coast, was meant to educate the offspring of the fabulously wealthy and ensure their acceptance at elite schools. While KISS had been a building block for schools like Oxford and Cambridge, BOP was meant to cater to the Ivy League. Once upon a time, only a few short years ago, she had dreamed of spending her teenage years on this very campus.

At OCD, Massie had envisioned pulling up in gleaming purple Lexus convertible, storming the marble hallways like a Paris runway, and of course being proclaimed _the_ It Girl, the Alpha of BOP.

But that had all crumbled away.

She had started from nothing and knowing no-one at KISS. Massie had fought and won her way to the top of KISS's A-list.

And then her parents had ripped her away. _Again_.

Now she was back home, only it didn't feel like home anymore.

Things weren't the same as when she had left, that was the only thing she was sure of anymore.

Complete strangers were living in her old home, which she had to drive past every day to get to her new home. The Pretty Committee had inside jokes and stories that no longer included her, which was to be expected, but it still hurt. And if Massie had actually felt comfortable, she wouldn't be starting her sophomore year feeling like a nervous LBR.

Massie Block was supposed to have the confidence to walk into school wearing a trash bag and know that soon everyone would try and fail to pull it off just like her. An alpha shouldn't be cowering in a limo, scared to face what was outside of it. An alpha was supposed to be confident in every step.

But she was terrified.

She hadn't even been this petrified since starting at KISS. At least there no one had known her. She had been given a chance to start over, to create an entirely new reputation, and she had. But this wasn't KISS, it was BOP, where people already knew her and she already had a reputation. And not a really good one at that.

Before leaving New York, Massie's reign of terror at OCD had left many of her peers scarred for life, or so she had read on some LBR's twitter after landing at Heathrow. It was true that she had probably insulted every girl in her grade at least three times each, and that she had profited off every Eternal Wannabe in the Hamptons by pointing out all of their flaws and selling them makeup to correct them. It was well known that she had even made her best friend's life a living hell when she had first moved to Westchester from Florida. Rumors had been correct about her over-controlling her closest friends' lives.

To put it simply, she was known as a bitch to the students of BOP.

Now she had to face them all again.

"You okay, Mass?" Claire asked, her eyes full of concern. A string behind her heart pulled at the sight. At least someone was concerned about her.

For a teeny-tiny second, she considered breaking down and admitting to her internal panic attack…But it was almost showtime. She had a group to lead, and they expected her to be in charge of her emotions, confident in every little thing she did. So she bottled up the nerves, shoved it down as deep as possible, and forced a radiant smile and nodded. "Of course!"

"Good!" Alicia smiled, placing a hand on the door handle. "Because it's time!"

A small wave of relief washed over Massie when she remembered that thanks to her years of training and grooming Alicia as her beta, she had ensured that her friend would lead the Pretty Committee into high school and take the title of Alpha. When she had left there had been no doubt in her mind that Alicia would take charge and make sure the PC stayed where they belonged, at the top. Just as Massie had expected, her protégé had made the PC the first-ever freshman clique to rule BOP.

And that meant that Massie wouldn't be returning as the bottom of the food chain as she had at KISS. Everyone knew that she had been the leader of the PC, and now that she was back it would be obvious to everyone who actually held the power and deserved the title.

This time she was entering her new school on top. She was the Alpha, the most powerful person at BOP.

 **BOP**

 **The Rivera Limo**

 **Monday, September 2nd**

 **8:12 A.M.**

Claire looked down longingly at her nails and cursed the bright coral color (Alicia had insisted it would bring out her tan) currently covering them. The itch to bite them and pick at her cuticles was insufferable as the little kernel of anxiousness in her stomach grew. She had known that Massie wouldn't be pleased that she had decided to ditch her pre-approved outfit at the last minute. But her hand-picked Massie outfit had just seemed too… Massie.

The Dolce & Gabbana top had been to die for, but when Claire had laid it out for the morning, she had realized that Massie had given the clothes that she would wear. Everything had been sleek and chic just like the brunette, and nothing like the relaxed but cute style that the blonde preferred. So when Claire finally realized just before midnight that she wanted to look and feel herself on the first day, she had called Alicia.

Even though it had been close to midnight, Alicia had rushed over to the Lyons household (via the limo and a sleepy/grumpy Dean) with an entire rack of clothes. They had settled on the Jonathan Simkhai top to show off her flat stomach and growing B-cups, pairing it with the Stella McCartney jeans to make her look more laid back. At first, Claire had been skeptical, worried that either Massie would force her to walk behind them for the entire day for her disobedience, or that Dean Sanders would send her home for showing the skin of her stomach. But after a little convincing from Alicia, Claire had accepted that she would look good even when paying the consequences.

True to her word, Alicia was right about her still looking amazing, but Claire couldn't help but feel awful.

To the average person that didn't know her, they would think that Massie looked perfectly calm. But Claire knew better. She knew that Massie was beginning to get nervous by her foot tapping on the spotless carpeted floor and the loss of color in her cheeks. The biggest sign was the withdrawn look in her amber eyes, and Claire knew that feeling well. Any kid that was starting at a new school knew what it was like to have a million questions and what-ifs run through their head before they entered the fray.

"You okay, Mass?" Claire ignored the glare from Alicia, not caring if she was bitched out later.

Massie's eyes snapped to her, and for a small second, Claire wondered if Massie was about to break down and cry.

But as quickly as that look had come, it disappeared even faster and was replaced by a look of assurance. "Of course!"

She looked up at Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen almost disgusted that they almost looked giddy with excitement. They knew perfectly well what was happening. They were about to feed Massie to the sharks, and the rest of the PC was anxious for the blood bath to begin.

Alicia looked over her shoulder and smirked at the sight of two figures sitting on the fountain's edge. Claire's own eyes widened at the sight: a willowy blonde next to a girl with hair and eyes the color of chocolate, both nightmares disguised as dreams.

 _No. No, no, no, noooooo!_

"Good!" Alicia purred, "Because it's time!"

They had all been foolish enough to think that a short stint of poverty would change Massie, that her inflated head had finally come down to Earth. The rest of the Pretty Committee wanted to see her crash and burn for it. But just because she was still the same entitled snob didn't mean she wasn't still Claire's best friend.

They were all about to let Massie walk into BOP thinking the same delusional thought the PC had a year ago. And just like them, Massie was about to be eaten alive.

Claire wasn't sure if she could let that happen anymore. She had to do something, anything!

When Dean stopped directly where Massie had instructed, Alicia slid out first, followed but Dylan and Kristen. But Claire's butt stayed firmly on the leather, the warm humid morning invading the cold air of the limo as the door stayed open.

"Massie, there's something you should kn-"

"Kuh-laire!" Massie snapped, her amber eyes now blazing. "Are you a server at Slice of Heaven now?"

"What?" Claire's brows furrowed. "No."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Massie pointed to the open door. "We need to get into the building ASAP before my hair frizzes from the humidity!"

She was out of time, there was no way she could warn Massie now. Claire looked over her shoulder, peaking through her blonde hair at the fountain. The two girls on the edge were now discreetly watching the Pretty Committee through their eyelashes as they pretended to be invested in their phones.

The feeding frenzy was about to begin.

* * *

 **I promise the next chapter is shorter.**

 **Reviews?**


	5. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

" **I learned a long time ago that reality was much weirder than anyone's imagination."- Hunter S. Thompson**

* * *

 **Briarwood-Octavian Preparatory School**

 **Calloway Auditorium, Row 3**

 **Monday, September 2nd**

 **9:32 A.M.**

"Do you know what time tryouts are?" Cameron Fisher, his blue/green eyes desperately searching his phone screen with the school's website pulled up.

"Five." Derrick Harrington answered immediately from next to him, his brown eyes trained on the group of men and women talking amongst themselves on stage. On the left was a dark-haired man with a grey patch by his left temple. Unlike the other professionally dressed educators, Coach Brookfield, was wearing black soccer shorts and an official black and burgundy Nike sponsored Briarwood shirt. It was the same training t-shirt jersey that had been given to Derrick as part of his Briarwood athletics swag.

He had been one of three freshmen the previous year to claim one of the coveted spots on the varsity soccer team. But after his elation of discovering he had made it, Coach had announced that he was no longer a goalie. Now, he was a striker. In that one season Coach B had helped him become one of the top scorers on the team.

"Shit, I don't know if I can make it," Cam muttered, his face still down.

Derrick rolled his eyes. One of the other three had been Cam, and as the best central midfielder on the team. He was partly why the Briarwood Tomahawks had made it to the finals. But, once Cam formed his band, _Key Failure_ , with his brother soccer had taken a back seat in his friend's life.

"Dude, we have to be there." He reminded Cam about Coach's number one rule: punctuality. They were only allowed to miss three practices in a season, or else they were kicked off unless it was for family emergencies or extreme illness.

"I have band practice!" Cam's one green eye turned towards him. "We're playing at a party in North Salem on Friday!"

"At the McKenzies'?" Josh Hotz, the third underclassman that had made it onto varsity asked, leaning forward in his seat. Derrick knew that the only reason he was interested, was because Alicia was guaranteed to be there. Ever since she had dumped him he had been desperately chasing after her, and it was honestly starting to look pathetic.

"Yeah, they're paying us in cash this time instead of Venmo-ing Harris all of it."

Derrick's eyes returned to the stage, watching as Coach talked with the head coach of the girls' varsity soccer team. No doubt, they were discussing how they both planned on beating Crestmore Academy, BOP's biggest rival and the team that had stolen the championship away from them last year. His teeth clenched at the memory of watching as Crestmore celebrated on the rain-soaked field.

"We're invited, right?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, all the guys from last year's team are."

"What about me?" Chris Plovert, one of their friends that hadn't been lucky enough to make varsity, asked. Plovert had only made JV but hopped to prove himself at tryouts this year. He pouted at the thought of missing out on a good time. "I'll have major FOMO."

"Dude, don't worry," Cam rolled his two different colored eyes in annoyance. Plovert _never_ missed a party, invited or not. "You're the party prince of Briarwood, of course, you're invited."

Thanks to Plovert's out of control St. Patrick's Day party, he had become a legend virtually overnight. He had advertised it as the party of the year, and Plovert had miraculously delivered what he promised. His dad's mansion had looked like a scene from _Project X_ and it had been a night that no one was going to forget anytime soon.

"Don't remind me," Josh grumbled next to Derrick. Unlike the rest of his friends, Josh had had a terrible time at Plovert's party. From what he could remember, Alicia had not only dumped him but had been surrounded by other guys only minutes later. Derrick had retreated to Plovert's dad's office to hide from Dylan and ran into Josh drowning his sorrows in Mr. Plovert's rare Macallan scotch, reserved only for his most esteemed clients.

Derrick decided to change the subject, not only for Josh's sake but for Cam and the rest of the soccer team. "Dude, you need to show up tonight." He turned to Cam, starring down his blue and green eyes. "The team needs you if we're going to beat Crestmore."

The rest of the guys groaned.

"He's going into captain mode again…" Josh said to the others under his breath.

Derrick hadn't officially been the team's captain. That title had belonged to Liam Walker, now a senior. He hadn't even been the assistant captain because as a freshman he had been too young and needed to prove himself. But Derrick had pushed himself and the rest of the team not only for his own ambition of taking Liam's captain position, but to really establish himself as a leader to the rest of the guys and Coach B.

"Don't you guys want to win the championship this year?" Derrick snapped at them. They had been just as heartbroken and defeated as he had been. Shit, Plovert had cried.

"Yeah, but I also want a life." Plovert rolled his eyes and Josh agreed.

"And I can't just bail on the band." Cam's eyes squinted at him. "Harris can't practice any other days."

Cam's older brother had graduated from Briarwood in June, leaving for NYU to pursue a major in music business. But ever since Harris had moved into his NYC dorm, Cam had been lamenting over it. Not only because of their close brotherly bond but because it gave their band much less time to practice.

"The McKenzies usually also have someone DJing most of the time, you'll only be playing a set or two." Derrick reasoned. The McKenzie twins had only started hiring _Key Failure_ to play at their parties because they had become so popular after playing at Plovert's St. Patrick's Day party.

Cam sighed, he knew Derrick wasn't going to give this one up. "Fine, I'll text him and ask if he and the guys can push it back."

Derrick settled back in his seat, and just in time. The last of the students had just trickled in, the doors were about to close as the faculty took their seats and Dean Sanders walked up to the podium. He tapped the microphone, checking the sound. Just when he opened his mouth, a set of doors burst open and everyone turned around to see five slender silhouettes in the doorframe.

"Holy shit," Plovert muttered as the group moved in sync down the aisle.

"Is that who I think it is?" Cam whispered to him, his different colored eyes watching just as intently as Derrick's. Only Cam's eyes weren't on his girlfriend, but the brunette girl on her left. A girl neither had seen in a long time.

 _Block._

 **BOP**

 **Calloway Auditorium, Row 25**

 **Monday, September 2nd**

 **9:37 A.M.**

Everything was just as her friends had described. Briarwood-Octavian Prep's campus was just as picturesque as the website had shown. The auditorium had just recently been renovated with generous donations from famous alumni and had been built not only for a modern facelift but for the best possible sound quality. Even as the PC took their saved seats, Massie couldn't help but admire how plush and cozy they were.

The man at the podium, looking up at them in disdain was also in desperate need of a facelift. "If you're quite finished ladies, we have an assembly to start." The man who she guessed to be Dean Sanders from the PC's description of a balding man with a nose two sizes too big said, his voice dripping annoyance.

Massie flashed her brightest smile as if giving him her permission to go on. She could still feel the entire room's eyes upon her and she was soaking it up, not caring if she possibly just got on the Dean's bad side on the first day.

"Now, I'm sure that you're all excited to be starting another year here at Briarwood-Octavian Prep…" Dean Sanders rambled on about what an exciting year it was going to be, and the PC quickly lost interest.

Alicia leaned across Massie's lap and whispered, "Thanks for saving our seats, Liv."

"No problem!" Olivia Ryan said cheerily from her spot next to Kristen on Massie's left.

Massie secretly rolled her eyes and whipped out her phone. She angrily pulled up the PC group text.

 **M: since when did duh-livia become a-list?**

 **D: since never**

 **A: she has her uses**

It wasn't that surprising that Alicia had let in Olivia while Massie had been gone. Without her, there had been no one to remind Alicia that the only thing worse than a Valley Girl, was a wannabe Valley Girl. But, as her faithful beta had assured her, Duh-livia was not an official PC member, only someone they tolerated and occasionally invited along if she had helped them with something.

"Ehmagawd," Claire's elbow nudged Massie in the ribs. "Look!"

Massie looked down at Claire's phone screen, it was a text from Cam.

 **C: Is that Massie?**

Then Claire's eyes looked up and Massie followed her gaze. Down in the front was Cam, surrounded by Derrington, Josh, and Plovert. They were all looking up at her as if they were watching a ghost. Massie bit her inner cheek to keep her from visibly smiling. Her plan was working. Everyone who knew her from OCD was shocked to see her, and the ones she had never seen before were sneaking peeks at her with mixtures of curiosity, awe, and jealousy.

"Now, I know no one wants to hear it, but students will no longer be able to order food on apps like Grubhub and Uber Eats." Dean Sanders droned on, only this time he was met with large opposition from the entire crowd, booing him as he tried to go on. Even Dylan zealously joined in.

"The approved eateries allowed to deliver on campus have been posted to the B-O-P website." More boos.

"Ew, this guy seems worse than Principal Burns." Massie watched as Sanders pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, mumbling something under his breath.

"Well since you all seem to be bored of me, I'll let one of your peers take over." Dean Sanders looked over his shoulder as if looking at someone behind the curtain and nodded like that was their cue. "Your elected senior class president and Director of Student Activities, Monica Sova."

Suddenly the room erupted and a tall girl with glossy long loose brown curls walked out from behind the large red curtain. Her mile-long legs quickly carried her over to Dead Sanders' place at the podium, giving Massie ample time to scan over her outfit. She was wearing a black-pink Versace lurex tweed crop top, a chunky knit tweed Chanel mini skirt, and a pair of black point-toe Louboutin pumps. A dizzying sense of outfit envy filled Massie and she felt the need to suddenly hurl.

The girl, Monica, smiled bashfully and waited for the audience to calm down, but Massie could see the corners of her perfect pouty lips. She was reveling in the spotlight.

"Thank you." She purred into the microphone, transfixing everyone in the room, including the PC. "On behalf of the student council, I'd like to welcome everyone back for another great year!"

" .She?" Massie grounded out with her teeth clenched, her eyes never leaving the brunette at the podium. But from the corner of her eyes, she could see her friends exchange worried looks. Never, not once since the Pretty Committee had entered BOP, had they mentioned anyone named Monica Sova.

"The Alpha…" Alicia whispered.


	6. Chapter 3

**Italic section=flashback**

 **To the reviewer that asked if Monica is a villain now: the short answer is that it's complicated. It really depends on the character POVs. To characters like Massie or Alicia, yes she can be perceived as the villain.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **"Dishonesty, lack of integrity catches up with you."- Dawn Steel**

* * *

 **BOP**

 **Calloway Auditorium, Bathroom**

 **Monday, September 2nd**

 **9:45 A.M.**

"Someone better tell me what's going on, _now,_ " Massie demanded as she shoved the bathroom door open, the PC hot on her heels. They were all immediately met with puffy white clouds of sweet-smelling smoke.

A girl in a Vince cami and ripped jeans was sitting on the sink with a Juul at her lips. "Get out!" Massie snapped, pointing to the door.

"Who do you think you are?" The blonde girl snapped, blowing her vapor in Massie's face.

Massie quickly snatched the tiny vape from the girl's hand and walked over to one of the open stalls. She let it slip between her fingers, landing in the dirty water below. "Your worst nightmare."

Massie flushed as the girl cried out in horror. "My Juul!"

"Out, now!" Massie insisted again, this time the girl listened and hurried out the door as fast as she could. "Someone start talking before I start flushing heads!"

Alicia eyed the rest of the Pretty Committee before stepping forward, her head held high. "We know that we lied to you, deceived you for a year, but it was something that we thought we had to do."

"What?" Massie snapped. "Why?"

Did they really think so little of her? Did they think she was so controlling that she'd dump them just because they weren't alphas?

"That vow." Alicia reminded her of that time in the Hamptons. "You had made us all promise to take over our schools, to stay on top."

Massie remembered that night very well. It had been one of her last nights in the States before she had to go back to England for another year at KISS.

"Once we heard that your plan worked, we felt as if we couldn't tell you or else we'd let you down," Claire said, playing with her cuticles, not daring to look her in the eyes. "You said that there's only one place the PC should be, on top."

 _ **East Hampton, NY**_

 _ **The Marvil Hampton House**_

 _ **Friday, August 17th**_

 _ **11:09 P.M.**_

 _The serene sounds of waves crashing onshore and the salty scent of the sea were enough to put anyone at ease, but it was even better when it was on Merri-Lee Marvil's oceanfront compound._

 _"This is the life," Dylan said, her feet propped up on the side of the fire pit and a freshly toasted marshmallow on its way to her mouth._

 _"I never want school to start." Claire spread out on her lounge chair._

 _"Same." Alicia agreed from the hot tub in the cabana. Merri-Lee had spared no expense when she had acquired the property, hiring the best interior designers and landscapers on the East Coast. It was where the Marvil family went to relax away from the cameras of their reality tv show._

 _"Mass, you're lucky you don't have to be back until September."_

 _Massie's school year was different from her friends' schedule now. The adjustment had been a little weird at first, going from a typical American school year to a British one with three terms. The hardest adjustment was that the third term didn't end until late June, so while the PC had been gallivanting across the globe, (Alicia in Spain, Dylan in Australia, Claire in Florida, and Kristen in Canada) Massie had been stuck inside the stuffy halls of KISS for an extra month. She'd hardly call it lucky that her summer break had started a month later and resumed only a week after her friends did._

 _And Massie wasn't in a rush to return to London any time soon. She was desperate to see James, the adorably charming Brit she had fallen for before she had even touched English soil, but a girl with long luscious dark hair made her want to plant her feet in the sand and stay in the Hamptons forever._

 _But Massie Block wasn't the type of person to cravenly run away, she faced her fears with cold hard calculated plans… And that was exactly what she was going to do with Zara Everly, the alpha of KISS._

 _Massie brought her Chanel lip crayon to her lips and applied a fresh coat of the long-lasting lipstick, smoothed her hair, and pulled the little piece of notebook paper from the pocket of her Derek Lam shorts before standing above the fire._

 _The Pretty Committee rushed from their various positions around the cabana to the fire pit, sitting down in the sand like kids excited for a creepy ghost story. Massie smirked at their undying obedience to her before she gently cleared her throat to begin._

 _"Now that we will be starting a new school year soon, that means it's time for a new Pretty Committee." Massie read the first line but had to stop when Alicia's hand had shot up into the air. "Yes?"_

 _"Does that mean we're starting another boy fast?" Her brown eyes were alight with panic, the disgusting pink Yankees hat Josh had given her still on her head._

 _"No, of course, nawt!" Massie rolled her eyes. The boy fast had occurred after the entire PC had been cruelly dumped and tossed aside at Skye Hamilton's party. Now, Massie could admit that it had been an obvious mistake from the start. The outcome had been inevitable because not even Massie, powerful as she was, couldn't stop young love._

 _Things were different now. They were all in good relationships, Claire with Cam (duh), Alicia with Josh, Dylan with Derrick, Kristen with Dempsey, and Massie with the ultimate British Hottie, James Willmott._

 _They knew just how much she was into James. The PC knew the whole story from the beginning, how they met on the plane, how James had graciously shown her around KISS and introduced her to his group of friends that had quickly taken her in as one of their own, how much she had longed to be more than just friends with him… and how quickly they became more than that._

 _"Thank Gawd." Alicia took off her beloved hat and ran her hands through her thick shiny dark locks to give her scalp some oxygen._

 _"As I was saying, now that four out of five Pretty Committee members are entering a new phase of their education, it is time we say goodbye once and for all." The PC looked at one another, confused for a moment before she continued. "Tonight, we are holding a funeral for our middle school selves, before we rise from the ashes born anew for this next big step in our lives. But first, we'll hold remembrances, sharing the good, the bad, and of course the glamorous."_

 _The PC whispered excitedly amongst themselves now. Massie went first, recalling the formation of the Pretty Committee and the tale of their newest edition from Florida. She even mentioned her past mistakes like the boyfast, the formation of the doomed cheer squad, and countless others. She let it all out, and the words pouring out into the fire seemed to set her free._

 _When she was done, she had felt lighter than ever. The PC golf clapped before Alicia went next. They laughed together, even cried together as each girl told her their stories and shared memories, good and bad (and especially some of the ugly)._

 _Then, once Claire had gone, giving a tear-jerking performance of her arrival in Westchester and Massie's heartbreaking departure for the U.K., Massie stood once more, no longer needing her paper to recite the next lines. "Now that we've embraced the change, and said farewell to our former selves, it's time for the Pretty Committee to arise anew…" She motioned for them all to stand and they quickly sprung up. "The New New Pretty Committee is wiser, matured, and unyielding. There is only one place for us, and that is at the top. We bow to no one, we_ are _the alphas of Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School and Briarwood-Octavian Prep."_

 _The girls let out excited cries, Massie knew how eager they were to finally start high school. Something was electrifying about it, maybe it was because it was an American rite of passage. Getting your license and experiencing freedom for the first time, the competitive extra-curriculars, going to prom, listening to a cheesy yet moving speech by the valedictorian at graduation. For a moment, she wished with all her being that she could be there with them when they first walked through the doors of BOP. She wouldn't get to experience any of those things with them._

 _She would be at KISS, forging herself a new path, and that thought sent an excited shiver down her spine. As much as she wished for Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, and Claire to be at her side, she knew they couldn't be. Massie's BBFs (British Best Friends), Anwen, Layla, and Poppy could never replace the PC, but they would be at her side once Massie shoved Zara aside and took her rightful spot as alpha of KISS._

 _"Do you, members of the Pretty Committee, promise to continue the sacred bonds you share with your fellow sisters?"_

 _"I promise!" Each one yelled and Massie followed with the same vow before reaching down to the giant brown leather Valentino tote she had dragged down from the main house. Inside, were five robin's egg blue boxes with white bows. Massie had picked them up from the Tiffany & Co. store on Bond Street just a few hours before her flight to the States. They had been finished just in time._

 _When each girl had the corresponding box, Massie plucked the white bow off of hers, signaling the rest to follow. Below the lid, was a customized charm bracelet for each girl. Each one held the initials of each PC member, along with a few personal charms. Claire's had a lion and a palm tree for her Florida roots. Dylan's was a diamond-covered four-leaf clover and an elephant (her favorite animal). Kristen's was a silver soccer ball and a cat for her beloved feline, Beckham. Alicia's was a little silver plane for her love of traveling, a small handbag signaling her addiction to shopping, and a plane sterling silver crown signifying her new status as alpha of the PC (at least in her absence). Massie's charms were of Big Ben, a New York license plate, and a crown, only hers was encrusted with diamonds so Alicia would remember who was actually in charge._

 _"Now, before you put these on, there's one last thing you all must promise." Each girl halted to a stop, their hands hovering just above the bracelets._

 _"Do you solemnly swear to keep the Pretty Committee where it belongs, at the top?"_

 **BOP**

 **Calloway Auditorium, Bathroom**

 **Monday, September 2nd**

 **9:47 A.M.**

Alicia could see the memory flash in Massie's wide eyes. They had all vividly remembered that night, they had all been so confident and naïve about high school back then. And from the way Massie was biting her lip, she too knew that it had been a mistake.

"You're right." Massie finally sighed. Alicia thought that she was going to have to grip Claire to prevent herself from falling on the floor. She wasn't sure if she had ever heard Massie utter those words. "I did make you guys promise that, and I shouldn't have."

"So, you're not mad?" Dylan asked while Claire and Kristen tried to close their O-shaped mouths.

"Oh no, I'm not mad," Massie said calmly, checking her reflection in the mirror before slowly turning to them. "I'm fucking furious."

Claire audibly gulped and Alicia straightened her back in preparation for a standoff.

"But not because you weren't alphas, but because you guys lied to me!" Massie screeched. "For an entire year, you lead me to believe a complete lie!"

"We never thought you'd find out!" Alicia finally snapped back. "It was supposed to be a harmless white lie!"

"Harmless?" Massie scoffed, her amber eyes starting to glow with rage. "So honesty means nothing to any of you?"

"No, we just thought that you would be disappointed with us and move on with your BBFs!" Alicia stood her ground, telling their side of the story. She wasn't going to let Massie guilt them into submissiveness once again.

Massie took her time glaring at each one of them. "Did you notice I never called my British Best Friends my Best Friends?" She turned on her heel and headed for the door, gripping the handle and adding, "Because you _were_ my best friends!" before she walked out into the hall, leaving them in the bathroom with the smell of shit.

"Great, now what?" Kristen groaned as the door slammed shut.

"She'll get over it by lunch." Alicia dismissed with a wave of her manicured hand. "Does anyone have next period with her?"

"No, I have history," Claire mumbled.

"Chemistry." Kristen looked more than a little relieved.

"Spanish," Dylan said.

"Okay, good." Alicia let out a deep, calming breath. She had American literature next and knew that Massie's was physics. "Class should make her chill out and focus on something other than us for a bit."

"Are you sure about that?" Claire rolled her blue eyes. "Just like you were so sure that she wouldn't be mad?"

"I never said she wouldn't be mad, I said she couldn't ditch us!" She snapped at her beta. Obviously, they had to deal with Massie's wrath, but it was only temporary. Once she went to class and walked around campus Alicia was sure that Massie would come crawling back. "Everyone should just go to class and we'll see how she's handling it next period."

The girls filed out of the bathroom just as everyone was leaving the auditorium. As the large crowd pushed for the doors leading outside, three familiar faces walked down the steps towards them.

"Hey!" Cam greeted Claire, throwing his arm around her shoulder. "So that was Massie we saw?"

"Yeah, she moved back," Dylan answered, eyeing Derrington as she played with her hair.

"For real?" Derrick asked, unable to hide the surprise in his face. "Where is she?"

"The main office, she has some new student orientation thing." Alicia easily covered, she knew Massie was probably stomping off towards the science building, trying to get away from the auditorium as fast as possible.

As the girls walked out into the fresh air with the boys trailing behind them, Alicia spotted a tall figure with broad shoulders and light brown hair standing under a Maple tree checking his phone. Her chest squeezed just at the sight of him, and when his blue eyes looked up from the screen to hers, she thought she was going to melt into a puddle of Angel perfume.

"Earth to Alicia!" Josh waved his hand in front of her face in an attempt to snap her out of it.

"Yeah, what?" Alicia asked but kept her sights on the boy. Once he had laid eyes on her, he had started walking towards Quincy Hall.

"What's your schedule this semester?" Josh asked but Alicia didn't hear him or the rest of her friends exchange their fall schedules.

"I have to go do the morning announcements, see you guys later!" Alicia waved to the PC and diverted her course for the gothic stone building in front of her.

"But there's no announcements today!" Josh called after her, but she ignored him.

The blue-eyed boy was walking up the steps and opening the heavy wooden doors, pausing and holding it open for others to pass. He was still too close and she couldn't be seen trailing after him. For once, she was happy that her big boobs made her a slow walker.

When she finally made it into the building, she took a right. Her Jimmy Choos clicked on the marble floor in the virtually empty hall. The few others that were quickly heading towards the exit were the students that lived in that dorm. Thankfully no classes were held in Quincy Hall during first period, it was what made it such a great meeting place.

Taking another right, she stood in front of the media room's door. She fished her keycard out of her black crocodile Givenchy bag and swiftly swiped it. Including her, only four people had copies to BOP's state of the art newsroom. As the school news anchor, she had been entrusted by Dean Sanders to use it responsibly. Which she did… most of the time.

Right now was _nawt_ one of those times.

When she slowly pushed open the door, careful not to make it creek, she was meet with the sight she had been dreaming of nonstop for weeks.

Ethan Sova was sitting on top of the news desk, grinning at her expectantly.

She couldn't control the excited squeal that came out of her and she rushed towards him. He hopped off the shiny long glass desk and opened his arms just in time for her to run into them. She took a deep inhale of his Burberry t-shirt as he folded her up against him and kissed the top of her head. As always, he smelled of mahogany and some other musky scent she couldn't place, but she ah-dored it times ten.

"No one saw you, right?" Alicia couldn't help but worry.

"No, no one saw." He playfully rolled his famous blue eyes. He thought that her anxiety of being caught was some cute quirk. But that light quickly disappeared from his eyes, becoming more hardened. "But maybe it wouldn't be so bad if someone did."

Alicia sighed. They had been over this numerous times. "We can't."

"Why not?" Ethan let her go and leaned back against the desk, sticking his hands into his dark grey Brunello Cucinelli jeans. Every time the subject was brought up, he became more insistent. "Hiding and sneaking around was fun at first, but it would be nice to kiss my girlfriend on the diag like a normal person."

"Because your sister will murder me, bring me back from the dead, and murder me all over again!" Alicia hissed, all of her joy from a few seconds ago gone. After dealing with Massie tantrum in the bathroom, all Alicia had wanted was a few peaceful and romantic seconds with her secret boyfriend. Now she was fighting with both of them.

"She won't care!" Ethan insisted. "I'm sure she'll try and be intimidating, but she's not _that_ dramatic!"

 _If only you knew!_ Alicia wanted to scream.

"Um, are you forgetting that she socially shunned me and my friends last year?"

They hadn't even known each other when she had first started freshman year. Ethan had been a sophomore when Alicia had made the mistake of challenging his sister, Monica, for her alpha position. As punishment, the PC had been officially labeled as freshmen losers who were not to be associated with.

"But she changed her mind!" Ethan ran an exasperated hand through his hair. "She's over that now!"

A guilt lump started to form in the back of her throat. He still had no idea that the only reason his sister had left her alone was that they had made a deal… one that had exceptions.

"But how can you be so sure?" Alicia knew that Ethan was close with his sister, but how much did he really know her?

"She just wants me to be happy." A small part of her knew he was right. Their parents had been absent most of their lives, constantly leaving them behind with the house staff and a nanny. It had been just the two of them for most of their lives. Of course, his sister would want to see him happy with someone, Alicia just wasn't that someone.

The exception of their deal was that Alicia had to stop all contact with Ethan. It had been Monica's price for popularity. And like any desperate idiot, Alicia had accepted. But letting go of her newfound crush for A-list status hadn't seemed too fair, so Alicia had negotiated. Not dating Ethan meant Monica had to proclaim Alicia as the next Alpha when she graduated in June. Monica had upheld her end of the bargain, but after Alicia had run into Ethan again at Slice of Heaven, she knew there was no way she'd be able to stay away.

Alicia took a deep breath, ready to argue against going public when his arms unexpectedly wrapped around her again. "What she did to you last year was shitty, so I understand if you don't want to face her just yet."

She leaned into him and thanked Gawd for such an incredibly understanding boyfriend, one she probably didn't deserve.

* * *

 **Haaaaa I promised myself I wouldn't do this but I'm doing it anyway...**

 **22 reviews or no new chapter**


	7. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

" **I think for any relationship to be successful, there needs to be loving communication, appreciation, and understanding."**

 **–Miranda Kerr**

* * *

 **Briarwood-Octavian Prep**

 **Verona Hall, Room 105A**

 **Ms. Kirk's Physics Class**

 **Monday, September 2nd**

 **10:06 A.M.**

It only took Massie a few seconds to scan the syllabus to know that she wasn't going to enjoy physics one bit. When was she ever going to calculate the velocity of anything anyway? And permanent lab partners? Yuck.

Massie glanced at the person on her right, inwardly groaning. Thanks to Ms. Kirk's alphabetical seating chart, Massie had been placed next to Claire's weird friend, Layne Abeley.

Since Massie had seen her last, she had died her hair a silvery grey and had the top section in two buns and was wearing a distressed AC/DC shirt, bleach splattered skinny jeans, and a pair of black converse. While her fashion sense hadn't improved any, Layne's makeup skills obviously had. Her face was shiny and matte in all of the right places for her face shape and her eyeshadow looked like a perfect example form a Youtube tutorial.

"I better not fail this class because of you." Layne hissed, typing away at a message on her Macbook's screen. Massie squinted her eyes and saw that Layne was demanding answers from Claire as to why she didn't say anything about Massie moving back to Westchester.

"Puh-lease, I need good grades to go to the Ivies." Why did everyone seem to think she didn't care about her grades? Did they all think she was that stupid? Granted, she hadn't paid much attention in class while in middle school, but her entire future depended on how she did in high school!

"Why study when mommy and daddy can just pay for a library to get you in?" Layne rolled her eyes while Ms. Kirk wrote out the lab rules on the board.

"Do I look like one of Lori Loughlin's daughters?" Massie snapped.

"No…"

"Then save the moral lecture for the kids with low SAT scores, Aunt Becky."

"She used bribery, not donations..." Layne rolled her eyes again before muttering something sounding suspiciously like _stupid_. Massie clenched her fists to keep her from ripping Layne's buns off her head.

"Girls!" Ms. Kirk turned around, placing her hands on her plump hips. "Is there a problem?"

"No!" Massie and Layne said simultaneously in the sweetest voices they could muster. When Ms. Kirk turned back around, both glared at each other.

"There wasn't some stuffy boarding school in England that your parents could've left you at?" Layne whispered-yelled.

"Had I known I'd be stuck with you as a lab partner for an entire semester, I would've begged them to let me stay there." This time Massie rolled her amber eyes and crossed her arms, turning away from Layne to let her know she was done with the conversation.

For a few moments she tried to pay attention to Ms. Kirk's safety rules, but she couldn't focus for very long.

The morning leading up to first period kept playing over and over in her head. Everything had gone according to Massie's plan, until the assembly. Because up until then, she had been under the assumption that Alicia had been BOP's Alpha… because that's what her friends lead her to believe.

For an entire year, her friends had deceived her. They had lied to her on countless occasions and Massie was left wondering if anything they had said had been true at all. Had Alicia really won a nomination for homecoming court? Had Cam and Claire really won the cutest couple award at the Valentine's dance? Had Kristen really been the only freshman to make the girls' varsity team? Did Dylan actually form a popular secret club about food appreciation?

But the dishonesty wasn't what bugged Massie the most. It was their reasoning for lying to her that was boiling under her skin. They had claimed that they had thought that she would've completely cut them out of her life if they had told her that they hadn't really been at the top. Massie had taken their vows on that beach seriously but would have understood if her friends had told the truth, she wasn't _that_ controlling!

It had been stupid to assume that freshmen could be alphas, that much was obvious. Freshmen were at the bottom of the totem pole, the lowest of the low, the butt of every joke. Nothing, not even Massie could've gone up against an older, more experienced alpha and won as effortlessly as the PC had claimed. From Massie's first glimpse of Monica Sova, she seemed like huge competition.

Massie opened up her Macbook and pulled up Instagram. After a quick search, she easily found Monica's profile. The number of followers she had almost made Massie's jaw drop, the girl could very well be labeled an influencer, and for good reason. Every picture looked like it was taken by a professional, the lighting was perfect, effortless-looking glossy hair, flawless makeup, and enviable outfits. Her megawatt smile was the perfect mix of happiness, mischief, and sexiness. Pictures taken far away made her eyes look like a pale blue but the up-close ones showed that under her long dark lashes they were actually grey.

The most recent picture was that morning. Two boys, blonde, blue-eyed, and completely identical were standing on the side of BOP's giant stone sign looking serious while Monica was sitting on top of it posing as if she were on the cover of _Vogue_. No tags of the two guys, but they were definitely BOP students.

Two girls seemed to be frequently pictured with her. One was a tall blonde with bright green eyes, often wearing flowy bohemian-inspired outfits. The other was a dark-haired brunette with dark brown eyes with a style similar to Monica's. Massie clicked on their tags and deduced that their names were Annie Bolton and Tiffany Wolf, both students at BOP.

Massie shut her laptop, unable to look anymore. This girl was a serious threat. And unfortunately, her friends had given her zero time to prepare…

 **BOP**

 **Verona Hall**

 **Locker 22**

 **Monday, September 2nd**

 **10:35 A.M.**

Students that lived in the dorms on the second and third floors buzzed by, heading for the elevator bank and the stairs while Massie shoved her new physics book into her locker. Her Chanel no.19 locker deodorizer let out a refreshing spritz and she inhaled as if it would give her the strength to get through the rest of the day.

Looking down the line of lockers against the wall, Massie could only see a few people she recognized from OCD and Briarwood even though all of the lockers in Verona Hall were for day-student sophomores. Most of the faces were unfamiliar and looked at her like she was just another face in the crowd.

The ones that did recognize her, like her locker neighbors to the left, Krista Bassett and Ann Marie Blanc, looked at her with mixes of apprehension and disdain. Neither had said a word to her as they quickly emptied their stuff and rushed off to their next class. Both had practically worshiped the ground Massie had walked on at OCD, now they looked at her like she was a ghost there to haunt them.

"I didn't believe it when I saw it, but it's true," The familiar voice of Cam Fisher said from behind her.

Massie spun around and noticed that it wasn't just Cam, but all of his friends too. A nervous bubble formed in her stomach, she hadn't seen any of them (minus Cam) in over a year and she hadn't yet checked if she needed a quick swipe of her Chanel duo ultra tenue. Cam gave her a quick friendly one-armed hug.

"Welcome back!" Derrington said, stuffing his hands into his Diesel jeans. Josh, Plovert, and Dempsey echoed him.

"Thanks." Massie breathed with a small grateful smile. At least there were a few people happy to see her back in New York. She answered a few of their questions like when she got back, where she was living now.

"What's your next class?" Cam asked.

"Algebra two." She couldn't help but grimace, math had always been her least favorite subject.

"With Truman?" Derrington asked.

"Yup."

"Cool, me too." He smiled and Massie silently thanked Gawd for at least one friendly face in her next class. She was sure Dylan would bombard her with questions about him afterward, but it was still a huge relief.

"Where's Mason Hall?"

"I'll show you."

 **BOP**

 **Dining Hall, Starbucks Kiosk**

 **Monday, September 2nd**

 **12:05 P.M.**

The scent of coffee filled Claire with new energy before her lips could even touch her iced caramel macchiato. Her first two classes (world history and sociology) had wiped her out even though their classes had been shortened for the day to fit in the assembly. But it wasn't the stress of history or sociology that had drained her, it had been Massie.

No one had received any texts or snaps from her during their first few classes and Claire was beginning to fret that Massie wasn't going to forgive them. When the PC made their way to their regular spot, table sixteen, Claire had shot Alicia a questioning look.

"I'm sure she's fine." Alicia took her normal seat at the bamboo table, her face blank but Claire could see the worry in her eyes. They had all thought that Massie would've sought them out after first period, but they had almost been late for their next classes by waiting for her at her locker.

"What if she hates us now?" Dylan asked with a mouthful of turkey burger.

"She doesn't!" Alicia massaged her temples.

"Look!" Kristen pointed to the pizzeria kiosk. "There she is."

The girls all looked up to see Massie leaving the pizzeria with the Cam, Derrick, Josh, Dempsey, and Plovert. They spotted them and started to head in their direction, laughing at something Plovert had said.

"At least she doesn't look mad…" Dylan muttered.

"Ugh, Josh is with them!" Alicia fake gagged.

"Who cares?" Dylan quickly wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Derrington's with them!"

 _And Cam!_ Claire mentally added, admiring how great her boyfriend looked in the shirt she had bought him at Kohls. It matched his green eye perfectly.

"Hey!" Massie chirped, taking the open seat next to Claire.

"Hey…" Alicia smiled, obviously surprised and a little suspicious that Massie's mood had completely turned around since they parted last.

"So why didn't you say anything about Massie moving back?" Plovert asked before stuffing almost the whole slice of pepperoni pizza in his mouth.

"It was pretty last minute." Massie covered for them.

"How do you like BOP so far?" Claire dared to ask, testing the waters of Massie's mood. Was she actually happy, or was she just acting like it in front of the boys because she didn't want to seem bitchy?

"It's great!" Massie smiled with an excited spark in her amber eyes, answering Claire's question about her mood. "Physics is going to suck but algebra was actually fun."

"Algebra was _fun?_ " Alicia asked, the disgust and disbelief matching everyone else's.

"Yeah, Mr. Truman is hilarious."

"You should've seen him swan dive into the trashcan!" Derrington laughed and sent Massie into a fit of giggles, they even high-fived.

"Oh, you two have it together?" Dylan pursed her lips before smiling, the same thing Merri-Lee did whenever her co-host on _The Daily Grind_ said something particularly stupid.

"Yeah," Derrick answered before clenching his teeth, clearly annoyed that Dylan was already jealous. Massie looked between the two and realized what was happening.

"Cam, are you excited for photography?" Claire jumped in and changed the subject before things could get awkward.

All of the guys suddenly tensed and looked away.

"Uh, I, um forgot to tell you…" Cam looked down at the table and her gut clenched in anticipation. "I switched out of photography for an independent musical studies class."

" _You what_?" Claire snapped. Everyone around the table quickly found their own conversations or their phones to avoid the couple's spat. "You promised to take it with me!"

"I'm not good at photography, _you_ are!" Cam said, finally looking her in the eyes. "Claire, I need to get better at the guitar and I could use the voice coaching."

It was her turn to look down at the table.

"I promise I'll make it up to you," Cam whispered.

 _Just like you promised to take the class with me…_

She looked up and saw Alicia looking at her with worry while Josh tried to talk to her with her limited responses. Massie was typing on her phone and Claire immediately felt her phone vibrating, knowing it was a text asking if she was okay.

"It's okay." Claire finally answered and faked a smile. "I know how much the band means to you, and you're definitely better at it than photography."

Cam pecked her cheek. "Thanks, I knew you'd understand."

She gave him a toothless smile and wondered how he didn't understand that he was beginning to put his band before everyone he knew.

 **BOP**

 **Dining Hall, Table 16**

 **Monday, September 2nd**

 **12:10 P.M.**

Alicia watched as Claire's smile didn't quite reach her eyes before accepting that Cam had ditched her for his band, yet again.

"But I told Coach B that if I can't wear my lucky Ralph socks under my uniform ones, I can't play and he actually let me!" Josh continued to drone on and on about soccer, not catching onto her distant look as a clue that she wasn't interested.

"Josh," Alicia finally snapped, ready to tell him off for his unwanted flirtatious conversations, but the smell of Yves Saint Laurent's Black Opium filled the air and Alicia suddenly couldn't breathe.

When Alicia's brown eyes lifted, they landed on Monica Sova's figure gracefully walking by with Tiffany and Annie on both sides of her, heading in the direction of their normal table. Monica's thick smoky eyes landed on her. Nothing in her expression was threatening, she actually seemed happy, but it was a menacing look nonetheless. It was Monica's way of silently reminding her of their deal, practically a daily ritual.

Alicia turned back to Josh, this time with a huge smile plastered on her face. "So when's the first game?"

"Two weeks from Thursday." Josh seemed a little confused at first but quickly got over it, happy that she now seemed interested.

"Well you know we'll all be there cheering you guys on!" Alicia gushed, trying to put the few acting lessons Claire had given her to use.

Josh beamed at her and started to excitedly jump into the best places for them to sit so the team could see them, but Alicia stopped paying attention once again.

Instead, her attention was caught by the boy she had been sneaking around with that very morning. Ethan was already watching from his table, surrounded by his lacrosse friends. They were practically on opposite sides of the room but the hurt in his shocking blue eyes was unmistakable.

Alicia fished out her phone and quickly pulled up the PC's group chat.

 **A: SOS**

 **D: ?**

 **A: GET RID OF THEM**

 **C: Done**

 **K: Done**

 **M: And done**

"I heard that Hastings is selling out of Cody Hill's dorm." Claire inspected her nails. "He has deals on quarters of Venom OG."

"For real?" Plovert practically shot out of his seat. It was widely known fact at BOP that Griffin Hastings was the best plug in Westchester, and that Plovert was slowly morphing into a stoner.

"Yeah, I got some Ice Cream Cake from him this morning." Dylan lied.

Alicia knew for a fact that she hadn't smoked weed since she fell asleep before the fireworks at Erica Lunsky's Fourth of July party.

"Shit," Josh frowned at her as if it were a shame he had to go so soon. "I'm all out too, I need to go get some before he's all out."

"Better hurry, I'm sure this is his busiest time," Massie said.

"Anyone have cash?" Josh asked as the rest of the guys stood up, ready to go restock their supplies.

"Dude, just Venmo him!" Derrick rolled his eyes as he pushed the chair back in.

When the guys finally walked out the door Alicia let out a breath of relief. "Thank Gawd they're gone."

"Seriously, can you believe Cam blew me off like that?" Claire snapped, still boiling from Cam's ill-timed confession. Alicia put her hand on Claire's back and the rest of the PC voiced their displeasure with Cam's decision.

"He should've just told you that he didn't want to take it when we were signing up for classes," Kristen said and the PC agreed.

"Speaking of classes," Dylan looked at Massie accusingly. "How was algebra with Derrington?"

"Dyl, I don't like him." Massie gave her a stern look that even made Alicia shrink back slightly. "We just happen to be in the same class, and he's one of the few people I know in there."

Alicia bit her lip to keep her smirk from showing. She knew it. She knew Massie would realize how alone she was without them. Claire had even sent her screenshots from Layne, pissed that Massie was back to terrorize her and the rest of the LBRs from middle school.

"Sorry, you guys just have a history and it made me freak out for a second." Dylan apologized. "But can you talk to him and see if there's a chance of us getting back together?"

"For sure." Masie smiled but the corners of her lips quickly fell and formed a serious line. "We need to chat about a certain someone."

"We're so sorry-" Claire started to apologize but Massie held up her hand.

"Don't worry, I'm nawt mad…anymore." Massie straightened her back, ready to get down to business. "Just no more secrets."

They all voiced their agreements and Alicia's stomach dropped again. How was she supposed to tell Massie about her secret relationship with Ethan? Everyone in the PC (and the whole school) knew that she had hooked up with him Plovert's party. Only the Kristen, Dylan, and Claire knew about her deal with Monica, but Claire was the only one that knew she and Ethan had a messed up secret relationship...

"Anyways, I did a little research in first period," Massie pushed forward. "But I need you guys to fill in the blanks, I need to know everything about Monica and her friends."

"Well for one thing, wherever she is, they're usually not far behind." Alicia sat up, ready to give her report. She pointed at Annie. "Her second in command, comes off as sweet and innocent but she can be a huge bitch."

"She spread a rumor that Jessi Rowan had syphilis." Kristen sipped her Vitamin Water.

"She's dating the starting quarterback, Cayden McKenzie," Alicia informed.

"I've heard that name a few times today!" Massie exclaimed.

"He's a total HART and he's been one of Monica's best friends since they were in diapers, they're actually neighbors. Oh, and he has an identical twin."

"Those two?" Massie discreetly pointed at the McKenzie twins with her Starbucks cup.

"Yeah, everyone calls them the clones." Alicia could hardly tell them apart. "Hayden is on the hockey team and is usually found outside of Dean Sanders' office for doing something stupid, Cayden is the smart one."

"He usually takes Hayden's exams and quizzes for him," Dylan added. It was certainly no secret that the twins used their identical looks to their advantage from time to time.

"That one is Tiffany." Alicia pointed to the dark-haired girl with her phone in her face. "She's batshit crazy, and you should avoid her at all costs."

"I once saw her fill Emily Esbin's conditioner bottle with Nair," Dylan whispered. "Just because Emily had asked to borrow a pencil from her boyfriend at the time."

"Ehmagawd," Massie gasped, "That's pure evil."

"Yeah, that's why Kit Zielinski dumped her and part of the reason Monica isn't super close with her anymore," Alicia explained. "She used to be Monica's beta until they got into some kind of fight."

"Huh," Massie tapped her chin, watching the group closely. "And that one is her boyfriend?"

Alicia followed Massie's gaze, "Yeah, that's Liam Walker, the captain of the soccer team."

"They treat him like a god, he's their best player they've had in like twenty years." Kristen put in.

"Also the hottest," Dylan admitted.

"Facts." Claire agreed.

"So what can you tell me about her that's not on social media?" Massie asked.

"Full name is Monica Avelina Sova, she has a brother named Ethan and they're apart of Manhattan's jet set." Alicia recited like a boring bibliographer. "She has a closet full of custom couture gowns, she's the president of the Burgundy and Black Society, captain of the equestrian team, head cheerleader, and probably going to be the valedictorian."

Massie slowly took in the information, analyzing each bit of information.

"And part of the reason you've never heard of her is that her parents shipped her off to Switzerland to attend Le Rosey instead of OCD."

"Ashley Wexford told me it was because her mom didn't want to deal with her eating disorder." Dylan shrugged, "I have no idea if that's true, but it wouldn't shock me if is… her mom used to be a supermodel."

"Who is her mom?" Massie's brows furrowed.

"Addison Emery." All four girls said simultaneously.

Massie's jaw dropped."Ehmagawd… as in _the_ Addison Emery that is now the editor in chief of _Stylista_?!"

"The one and the same." Alicia sighed. Monica had inherited her mom's incredibly lucky genes, but her brother was the one that had received her infamous blue eyes.

"So she has a pedigree," Massie noted. Everyone knew that the most famous supermodel of the nineties was from one of NYC's oldest Dutch families. Even though she had tried to make a name for herself by dropping the van Coeverden name in favor of her middle name, it was obvious that her family's status had aided her on her climb to the top of the fashion industry, but no one seemed to care. Addison Emery van Coeverden decided what was _in_ and what was _out_ , and as long as she held that power over every designer that hoped to grace the pages of _Stylista_ , everyone would follow her. "She's dead serious competition…"

Massie's gaze returned to Monica. Instead of fear in her eyes, Alicia could see the flames glowing in her amber orbs, ready to take on the challenge.

As if sensing the defiance, Monica turned around, smoke meeting fire.

 **Family relationships definitely play a bigger part for all of the characters in this version. Massie's not exactly happy with Kendra and William for uprooting her twice in two years, Kristen's mom is stricter than ever, Todd is the annoying yet lovable little brother, and Monica's parents are kind of jerks. I'm really excited to focus on Dylan's family now that they have this Kardashian-esque reality show. I don't think Dylan's dad was ever mentioned until the last book (correct me if I'm wrong because it's been YEARS since I read a Clique book), and it sounded like she rarely saw him so there's definitely going to be some drama there!**


	8. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

" **You can't jump from little things to big things. It just takes time and patience."**

 **-Nadia Comaneci**

* * *

 **Briarwood-Octavian Prep**

 **Dining Hall, Table 24**

 **Monday, September 2nd**

 **12:15 P.M.**

"There seems to be an extra member at our pet's table." Monica Sova noted aloofly as she turned back around to face the last two people at their reserved table. Liam, Cayden, and Hayden often disappeared after eating in favor of golf on the campus course.

Annie craned her neck to get a better view. Her green eyes instantly landed on the amber-eyed girl that had just shot Monica the death glare. "Yeah, she was with them when they arrived too."

"She also sat with them at the assembly." Monica had watched from behind the curtain as Alicia and her group, 'the Pretty Committee', stormed in fashionably late so all eyes would be on them. It was the same trick that they had used the year before, but at least this time it hadn't been when she had been giving her presidential announcements.

"Too bad Alicia and Ethan didn't work out, they both like to pick up strays." Tiffany flipped her naturally straight hair over her shoulder. Monica could tell that she had taken extra care of her normally dull hair to make it look extra shiny and healthy.

But, Tiffany had a point. Her younger brother had a habit of not only bringing home rescue dogs from their local shelter but also any other abandoned or injured animal he could find… birds, snakes, rodents, literally anything. For as long as she could remember he had loathed seeing any creature suffer. She was sure that was why Ethan had taken an interest in Alicia last year…

"I've never seen her though, and it's not like Alicia to bring in a new person," Monica noted. After they had foolishly tried to contest her last year, she had been keeping close tabs on the Pretty Committee. The only other people that sat with them were Olivia Ryan and Layne Abeley.

"That's why I texted Britta this morning," Annie announced. Their friend that had graduated from BOP and was now a freshman at UPenn was the sneakiest and most internet-savvy person she had ever met. She could find anything about anyone. "She has all of the details and said she'd send the info in the group chat when she's done with class."

"The quick info that she gave us was that her name is Massie Block and she's not exactly new." Tiffany's eyes flicked over to the PC's table but quickly moved back as if even looking at them was physically painful.

"What does that mean?"

"She went to OCD, but moved to England halfway through eighth grade."

"So, she's from around here and an OCD-iva." Only the upper school had dorms. To attend OCD or Briarwood you had to live near or commute to campus. But, the girls of OCD had a reputation of being ostentatious, narcissistic spoiled brats, and it was fairly accurate. It was why the public school kids had given them that nickname, and why she had almost been relieved when her parents had announced that she was being sent to Switzerland. "What part of Westchester?"

"The Bedford area."

So, that meant she probably lived on a sprawling estate similar to Monica's parents' North Salem compound.

"She's been best friends with Alicia for a while and if you go back far enough on her Insta, she's in a lot of pictures." Annie slid her phone over to Monica. Sure enough, there were many photos with Alicia and the amber-eyed girl looking like tweens.

"Maybe we should go introduce ourselves," Monica purred. It was delightfully fun to toy around with Alicia. The girl was so scared of her that she was reduced to a puddle of nerves whenever Monica was in the same vicinity. And it would be a great way to intimidate the new girl…

"Lets." Tiffany stood up, practically reading her mind. She never missed an opportunity to flash her claws.

The trio pushed back their wooden seats and sauntered in the direction of table sixteen. The redhead and sporty one spotted them coming, the whites around their eyes growing larger with each step they took. By the time the others turned around to see what was going on, it was too late. Monica was already hovering above their shocked expressions.

"Alicia, you're just the person we wanted to see." Monica flashed a faux-friendly smile as she and her friends took the empty seats.

"I am?" She squeaked.

"Of course," Monica gushed. The thing that seemed to frighten Alicia the most was fake friendliness. "You know about the party at the McKenzies' after the game on Friday, right?"

"Uh, yeah?" Alicia exchanged a confused glance with the blonde. "What about it?"

"Normally underclassmen aren't invited…" Tiffany said to her nails.

"But since you're the _sophomore_ a _lpha,_ you and your friends are welcome to come," Monica emphasized so Alicia would understand what she was talking about: their deal. She wasn't proud of it, but it had been a last-ditch effort to stop her little brother from making a huge mistake.

Monica had been in Paris for her custom couture fittings when her friends had informed her that Ethan had hooked up with Alicia at a St. Patrick's Day party. It didn't take a genius to know what Alicia's plan had been. Like many girls before her, she was just using him for his status.

Everyone at BOP knew that the Sova siblings were connected to not one but two Old Dutch families that dated back to New Amsterdam. On their mom's side was the van Coeverden name and their paternal grandmother's maiden name was Riessen. They were amongst other names like Vanderbilt, Roosevelt, van Dyke. That elite bloodline was extremely sought after, especially by OCD-ivas…

Just like Alicia Rivera.

"Really?" Alicia asked with a mix of apprehension and excitement. At least she was smart enough not to fully trust her.

"Of course!" Monica gave her best megawatt smile.

She looked at each of Alicia's friends slowly. The sporty one on the soccer team was Kristen Gregory, the redhead was obviously Dylan Marvil (aka Merri-Lee Marvil's only daughter that didn't make a fool of herself by acting like a total Kardashian wannabe), and the blonde that was never far from Alicia or Cam Fisher was Claire Lyons. When her eyes landed on Massie, the brunette remained calm, not displaying any emotion.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've ever met." Monica pointed to her friends, "This is Annie and Tiffany." Annie offered a small smile while Tiffany gave a threatening smirk. "And I'm Monica."

"Massie Block," She beautifully replicated Monica's fake smile. "The new alpha."

Monica's brows shot up and the Pretty Committee gasped. The new girl was certainly audacious.

Her head snapped in Alicia's direction, silently demanding answers. "You didn't explain to the new girl how things work around here?"

"I-I tried to warn her!" Alicia's eyes widened, pleading for mercy… but Monica enjoyed watching her squirm.

"And I'm nawt new!" The girl's amber eyes blazed. "I'm from here!"

"You might be from here, but you're new to this school." Tiffany crackled. Massie clenched her jaw and fists, opening her mouth to fire something back but Monica beat her to it.

"I'm only going to explain this once," She said calmly but quietly. One valuable thing her mother's cold attitude had taught her earlier in life was that fire was not always the most threatening option. Sometimes, all it took was an icy tone to chill someone to the bone.

"There's a certain hierarchy to this school, it's a delicate system with top predators," Monica pointed to herself and her friends. "And by the natural order of things, there's the prey…" Monica looked Massie up and down so she got the point. "Your friends managed to evolve, I suggest you find a way to do the same."

She stood up and Tiffany and Annie followed suit. A satisfied shiver ran up her spine at the sight of the girl's shock. She turned on her heel to leave but stopped and said over her shoulder, "And _Alicia_ is the sophomore alpha because I said so."

She'd uphold her end of the deal. She'd make sure Alicia was her successor…

As long as Alicia upheld her end of the bargain.

 **The Blocks' Bentley**

 **Westchester, NY**

 **Guard Hill Rd.**

 **Wednesday, September 4th**

 **7:42 A.M.**

Massie flicked the new BOP car pass hanging from the review mirror, annoyed with the burgundy piece of plastic. The sleek black ones that hung from cars in the student parking lots seemed to make it stick out even more when the Blocks' new Bentley SUV drove past the imposing gate. The humiliation was even worse when Massie had to get out at the drop-off area. She couldn't wait until one of those seemingly exclusive black passes hung from a car of her own.

"Turn here, we need to pick someone up," Massie ordered her new driver, Orson. She also couldn't wait to be rid of him. He was nothing like Isaac had been. Isaac had been quiet, but he had at least made polite small talk. Orson was stoic and emotionally unresponsive. He had only been hired a few days ago, but he still hadn't said a word to her.

And until she got her license she was stuck with him.

The Bentley pulled up to a cute yellow house with green shutters. The Lyons had a welcome sign on their door with a little wooden lion, which Massie couldn't help but think was cheesy in a cute way, but it fit close but corny family.

She whipped out her phone and tapped her messages to Claire:

 **M: Ready? The Bentley is outside**

Almost immediately three dots popped up and Massie awaited the response.

 **C: Dean just picked me up**

Massie's hands clenched around her iPhone. She had gotten up extra early to beat the Rivera limo on the carpool route for nothing!

Ever since Monica had confronted the PC in the dining hall, Massie felt like she had lost all control. It was as if her perfect alpha-worthy outfit had been stripped off of her, leaving her exposed. For some reason, Monica had protected Alicia's claim as alpha, and the PC seemed to have chosen another leader while she had been gone.

There was so much that she was just now starting to find out. She had missed out on a lot of events, and like the LBR that hadn't been invited, she had to listen to everyone's stories. Hearing about her friends bonding over their first rager and proceeding hangovers had almost been humiliating. There was still so much information she didn't know. Like how the PC had gone from being declared out, to being invited to upperclassmen parties.

Monica had certainly made her point, underclassmen were not allowed, and yet they were the chosen few… and that Alicia was _the chosen one_.

Picking and choosing who she wanted at the top of the sophomore class instead of letting nature run its course and naturally proclaim an alpha. Who exactly did she think she was? The Queen of England?

Her phone vibrated in her manicured hands.

 **C: we just picked up K &D too**

Massie resisted throwing her phone out the window as she told Orson to go straight to BOP.

What was up with Alicia and Claire lately? When had they gotten so close? Massie had noticed that the two were always near one another, but it had been worse since Alicia had demanded that they get rid of the guys at lunch on Monday. Both had been acting weird about that too. Massie had thought that Alicia liked Josh again, and it seemed like it when she was flirting with him but then she had snapped out of it and couldn't seem to stand him. After that Alicia seemed distant and out of it, and Claire was the one she leaned on.

"What time should I pick you up?" Orson asked as the Bentley was waved past the gate, opening up to reveal the immaculate grounds of BOP.

Massie was so stunned that he spoke that it took her a second to refocus. "I might be late today, I'll text you when I'm done." He frowned and before he could reply she opened up the door and hopped out, slamming it shut.

"Massie!" A voice called. She turned around, surprised that the PC was sitting at the fountain. How had they gotten there so quick? Had Alicia had the same idea and rushed to pick everyone up before she could?

She stuffed those thoughts down, they were worries for another time. There was still a whole day to get through and a lot of work to be done.

"Hey!" Massie sat down next to Dylan, careful not to sit too far back so the wet edges wouldn't touch her Theory pants. The last thing she needed was to be seen with wetness on her butt looking suspiciously like pee.

Claire gave her a wide-eyed silent apology, and Massie's first instinct was to deliberately ignore it. Normally, she'd ice her friends to let them know she was a little hurt that they had chosen Alicia's carpool over hers, but she had long ago said goodbye to her over-controlling ways.

So, she gave a small toothless smile to let Claire know all was forgiven.

"We're trying to figure out what to wear on Friday," Alicia explained. "The game should end around nine-thirty, and the party starts at ten-thirty. So, we should make our entrance between eleven and eleven-thirty."

For a brief moment, Massie swelled with pride. Alicia was a skilled planner/plotter and oversaw every detail, which had made her the best candidate to take Massie's place.

But now Massie was back, and here she was still trying to lead the PC...

"I might miss part of the game, I have to pick up James from his cousin's house." Massie reminded. He was only in New York for a weekend and it was to see family, but he was also using it as an opportunity to see her. He was also excited to meet her friends and see more than just NYC and his cousin's small suburban town.

"Wait, how are we getting there?" Kristen asked. Obviously, no one's parents or personal drivers (paid by their parents) wouldn't take them to a party. And taking an Uber would be too risky.

"Probably Derrington's older sister again," Dylan mumbled. Ever since Dylan and Derrington's relationship started going back and forth, his older sister, Sammi, had stopped caring for Dylan in the hopes that her brother would move on.

"Our only other option is Harris, and he'll be there early to set up." Claire shrugged.

"Where are we getting ready after the game?" Massie asked. What she wanted to ask was what she would do with James while she was trying to get ready for her first BOP party.

"Claire's," Alicia answered. "She's the closest to Derrington's."

"Actually, the guys will be coming too." Claire rolled her eyes. "Todd invited them over to play Xbox."

"Ugh," Dylan groaned. "Why do they hang out with him?"

Claire gave a _beats me_ shrugbut relief washed over Massie. While she dressed and redid her makeup at least James would have something to do and people to talk to, even if it was Todd Lyons.

"We should go shopping before Friday, I have nothing to wear." Alicia pouted even though Massie knew for a fact that Alicia's closet was just as full as Massie's with new clothes for the semester.

"Let's go to the city!" Dylan pleaded. "There are so many better places there than the Westchester Mall!"

"Ugh, no!" Alicia said as if she had just whiffed fart fumes. "The last time I went shopping on Fifth Ave, I ran into Monica."

"Out of the millions of people, you ran into her?" Massie asked.

"Yeah," Alicia sulked. "Her parents have a townhouse on Sixty-ninth off of Fifth ave, practically right next to Central Park."

No wonder Monica's Insta was filled with shots of NYC, not only of the famous skyline and monuments but also of trendy restaurants and clubs she shouldn't have been old enough to enter. Of course, she had a place for her and her friends to crash when they felt like getting away from the suburbs for the city lights.

"Let's go anyway," Massie said. Now was an opportunity to undermine Alicia without seeming too controlling. "What are the chances you run into her again?"

"Yes!" Dylan cheered now that someone was on her side. "Come awn, Leesh! It's almost fashion week, Monica will be so far up her mom's butt, she won't have a clue that we stepped foot on the Upper East Side."

Alicia bit her lip, debating. "I guess…"

Dylan squeezed Massie and they jumped up and down with anticipation. There was nothing quite like a spending spree in Manhattan. While Bond Street had been a unique experience in its own way, Massie had missed New York.

"Eh-ma-GAWD!" Claire shrieked, causing the group to look around in alarm. When they finally caught sight of what she was looking at, they repeated her.

"It can't be…" Alicia stared with wide eyes.

"It is…" Dylan said as she reached over and lifted Kristen's dropped jaw.

"Landon Crane," Massie whispered.

 **BOP**

 **The Fountain**

 **Wednesday, September 4th**

 **8:05 A.M.**

"Why is he here?" Massie whisper-screeched, her eyes never leaving her old flame. "He's supposed to be at ADD!"

Alicia knew that Landon and Massie's relationship had ended on good terms, but Landon had still harbored feelings after she had told him that she was moving. He had been depressed for weeks, posting all of his feelings on Twitter.

"Looks like he's not a student there anymore…" Kristen pointed to the black backpack with the BOP crest on it. Landon's dark hair blew in the breeze as he shut the door to his Audi. Sure enough, a black student parking pass hung from the mirror.

"Well, that just added like six points to the hotness meter," Dylan added dryly. No one knew how long Massie's long-distance relationship with James would last, but the one thing they did know was that it would more than likely end soon. Massie's biggest issue with Landon had been him being in public school, and now that he wasn't, there was a chance she could end up liking him again.

When Landon spotted a not yet on the market black Tesla Roadster, he waved and Alicia wanted to vomit.

Getting out of the Tesla, was Ethan, looking extra handsome in his Burberry polo. The light of the early morning hit his high cheekbones and chiseled jaw, showing off his gorgeous features. The Tesla (personally delivered by Elon Musk) was glistening as a group of overly contoured freshmen gawked shamelessly at him.

He locked his car and met up with him, not even bothering to look over at her even though she was in plain sight.

He had been ignoring her since she had flirted with Josh at lunch on Monday. Every text had gone unanswered, and he hadn't even so much as glanced in her direction since. She was being completely and utterly ghosted. It had made her stomach tie up in knots and filled her chest with dread. Had she done irreversible damage by flirting with Josh to throw Monica off? She had seen the hurt in his eyes, and it had instantly sent regret and shame burning through her.

"Ethan's the captain of the lacrosse team, right?" Of course, Massie had done her research.

"Yeah," Dylan answered before Alicia could.

"Are they friends or something?" Massie pretended to be looking down at her phone while the guys headed for the main building.

"I don't think so…" She had never heard Ethan mention Landon, and she knew all of his lacrosse friends.

"Maybe they played on the same club team at some point." Kristen offered, and it was entirely plausible.

The pair laughed at something on Landon's phone, but Alicia saw Ethan's blue eyes discreetly land on her for the slightest second. She held her gaze on him, hoping that he would meet it, but he ignored her.

"Who's your friend, Ethan?" A sultry voice called out.

"Ew, not Sophia and Lydia…" Dylan whined, rolling her green eyes at the two girls quickly approaching.

"Who are they?" Massie whispered.

Claire briefly eyed Alicia as if asking if she wanted to explain. She stayed silent, her eyes glued to the scene playing out before her.

"Sophia Tate is the junior alpha," Claire said. "Lydia St. Clair is her best friend."

"Both ah-nnoying times ten." Dylan huffed. She would know since she had been stuck in Spanish class with them freshman year. She couldn't stand the hyperactive pair since. "They're the loudest cheerleaders on the team."

Sophia's wheat blonde hair bounced as she caught up with Ethan and Landon. Even when Ethan was introducing Landon, her entire focus remained on him.

"So," Lydia on the other hand, seemed more than happy to devote all of her attention to Landon. "Where did you go before BOP?"

Sophia's striking green-brown hazel eyes landed on her and a fist gripped Alicia's stomach, squeezing until she thought she would see her breakfast again. Did she know?

They had hated each other from the second Alicia had stepped foot on BOP's campus. Naturally, Sophia had hated Alicia simply for being a freshman. But, as Monica's proclaimed predecessor when Alicia had publically challenged Monica for her Queen Bee position, Sophia had gleefully followed orders to make Alicia's life a living hell. The rumor that Alicia and Josh had a sex tape? Sophia. The photo of Alicia's tennis skirt with a bloodstain? Sophia.

It had only gotten worse when Monica had made her deal with Alicia. Sophia had been replaced by her and made it her mission in life to get revenge. Thankfully, Monica had been true to her word and protected Alicia's claim. Not even Sophia could go against Monica's word.

But had Sophia found out another way to hurt her? It certainly looked that way as she slid her arm through his, grasping onto his arm with her other hand. They looked like a glowing red carpet couple even though Ethan looked slightly uncomfortable.

Claire suddenly jabbed her in the ribs, discreetly flashing her phone.

 **C: txt him! It can't hurt**

After Alicia had tricked the boys into running off to Griffen, Claire had been her shoulder to cry on in her secret time of need. But, what Claire and her innocent advice didn't know was that it could be utterly painful. What if he didn't respond and he was truly done with her?

But she didn't know what else to do. So she took a deep breath, and while Massie was still too stunned by Landon, she sent her message.

 **A: Meet me in the newsroom. 12:50**

She watched as he pulled his iPhone from the pocket of his Ralph Lauren jeans. He looked down at the screen for a moment, his expression was unreadable but she still felt her hopes soar above the clouds.

He shoved it back into his pocket without a second glance, laughing at something Sophia had said, and her hopes came crashing back down to earth.

 **BOP**

 **Quincy Hall, News Room**

 **Wednesday, September 4th**

 **1:00 P.M.**

Alicia glanced down at her phone to check the time once again. She had left lunch early to meet him there, telling her friends that she had bad sushi, which was beginning to feel true the longer she waited.

Alicia hadn't really thought he'd come after never receiving an answer, but had still held onto the slightest sliver of hope and had come anyway.

That hope was gone. Ethan was never late, and he was now ten minutes behind schedule… it was time for her to give up.

Just as she slipped her key back into her bag, the door slowly opened, revealing his gorgeous form.

"I didn't think you were coming." She said quietly.

"I didn't think so either…" He crossed his arms and leaned back against the now shut door, not allowing for them to be even an inch closer.

The gap between them felt like the Grand Canyon and she planted her feet to the ground to resist rushing to him. "So why did you?"

"To get some answers I guess." He bit his lip and she could tell he was debating saying something.

"What is it?"

"He was why you didn't want to be seen with me or actually date me, right?" Ethan ran a flustered hand through his brown hair. "You still have a thing for Hotz."

"Ew, no!" Alicia was repulsed by the image of Josh in her head. Ever since he had borrowed her clothes for Halloween, she could only see him as a masculine version of herself.

"Alicia, I'm not a genius like my sister, but I'm not blind!" His eyes more serious than she had ever seen, the playful blue hues replaced darkness. "You were with him that morning, and you were flirting with him at lunch!"

"What about _you_?" She couldn't help but snap. "What's up with you and Sophia?"

"She's had a thing for me since we were seven!" Ethan rolled his eyes. From what Alicia knew, it was true. Sophia had been pinning after him for years. "I've never felt anything for her, she's annoying as fuck!"

 _At least he acknowledged that fact_ , she thought. Most guys looked past it because they thought she was hot.

"But we're not talking about me," Ethan took a deep flustered breath. "We're talking about you."

"Josh and his friends came up to us, and I talked to him just to be nice that morning," Alicia explained. It had been innocent, until lunch… Her eyes teared up at the memory of seeing him look at her with hurt and betrayal. "The guys sat with us at lunch and I ignored him at first, but then Monica was watching me and I hoped that if she thought I liked him, then she'd back off."

Ethan studied the ground for a second, looking like he was trying to find the right words to say.

"It was a stupid idea, I should've known it would hurt you, and I'm so, so sorry." Alicia's voice cracked and the floodwalls finally broke.

It had only been a few days, but she had missed him terribly. She missed him calling right before bed just to say goodnight, missed their insanely high snap streak and missed the way he looked at her across a room like she was the only girl on earth. Everything felt so effortless with him. Even with Josh, she had never felt so comfortable with a boy. She could talk to him about anything, let her guard down because he made it so easy.

She didn't want to lose him.

He didn't hesitate. His arms wrapped her up and she buried her face in his polo, not caring if any of her makeup rubbed off. He was warm, and that musky scent she adored was more comforting than her Angel perfume.

"I wish I could take it back," but she couldn't, they both knew that. "I made you doubt me."

Ethan was silent, and just when she thought she would have to apologize again, he squeezed her. "I don't doubt you, I doubt this situation."

Alicia pulled back and sighed. She should have known it would lead to this. He wanted a public relationship, and she couldn't give it to him unless she wanted Monica to throw her name in the mud. "We have to."

"I can't do this forever, Alicia." He ran both hands through his hair… not a good sign. "I want to be able to talk to you in front of people, kiss you in front of something other than a camera!" He pointed to the professional camera used to air the morning announcements. It was like a giant mechanical eye that always watched them. "I want to be able to call you my girlfriend."

Her cheeks burned while her mind worked overtime to try and process her emotions and everything he was saying.

"I know you and Monica had a really rough start, but she's my sister and I love her." As much as Alicia despised her, she knew that Monica loved her brother as much as he loved her. They had been extremely close growing up, practically raising each other. Their parents were absent for a lot of their childhood, leaving them to be raised mostly by the nanny. "I don't care if she doesn't approve, but I want to tell her about you."

Alicia bit her lip. How did she explain that she wanted to be with him, but that if she was, his sister would send her back to social Siberia? She couldn't tell him anything about the deal without him thinking that she had used him to gain popularity while at rock bottom… that would be the end of them for sure. "I-I don't know…"

"I know you're still nervous around her," He said. "But I have a plan."

 **BOP**

 **Main Building**

 **Photography Class**

 **Wednesday, September 4th**

 **1:14 P.M.**

"So what happened to the wicked witch of Westchester this morning?" Layne asked right before she bit into a donut courtesy of Mr. Hart. "She seemed more obnoxious than usual in first period."

Claire inwardly groaned at the mention of her draining morning. First, Massie had spotted her ex. Then, Alicia had taken her advice only to receive the cold shoulder from Ethan. Now she had to deal with Layne's annoying dislike for Massie.

"She saw Landon Crane here." Claire didn't see any problems with telling Layne. She would never pull a Massie and use confidential information against someone… unless she was pissed.

"Oh yeah, Chris was stoked when he heard Landon was transferring."

"So he's officially a BOP student?"

"Yup," Layne nodded. "He's hell-bent on making the lacrosse team, already kissing Ethan Sova's ass… I give it a month before he becomes a fuck boy."

Claire had never thought of Ethan Sova as a fuck boy. She had only talked to him a few times, but he had always been kind and polite. But, Claire also knew what Layne meant. Most of the guys on the lax team were disgusting, only caring about their dicks and where they stuck them.

The bell rang and Layne jumped off of her desk to sit in her chair. A few stragglers came in, taking advantage of Mr. Hart's relaxed tardy policy. The lights dimmed and Mr. Hart logged onto his computer at his desk, ready to begin his lecture on shutter speed and lighting.

But just as Claire's fingers relaxed above her keyboard, ready to type her notes at lightning speed, the door burst open, flooding the room with bright fluorescent lighting. A tall figure with broad shoulders stood under the frame.

"Sorry!" One of the McKenzie twins said. Like most people, she couldn't tell them apart.

He held the door open and quickly shut it behind a smaller, more feminine figure. It took her eyes a second to adjust to see who it was.

"Welcome to the class, Cayden and Monica." Mr. Hart said, excited to have more students in the small class. Like her, he had taken Cam's departure hard. "There are some open seats over there."

Claire audibly gulped when she saw that he was pointing at the open desks across from her and Layne. What were they doing in this class? Didn't they have some crazy high-level class to take to impress colleges?

She quickly sent an SOS in the PC group chat.

"Hey," Cayden greeted politely with a small as he sat down.

"Hey…" Claire and Layne said, glancing at each other. She knew that Layne was just as unnerved as she was because she looked like she wanted to run as far away as possible.

Layne had ruffled Monica's feathers freshman year by protesting homecoming. She and her friends, Heather and Meena, had claimed it was just a popularity contest and the opposite of gender-neutral. They had even passed around a petition for the school to change the tradition of crowning a king and a queen. In the end, Monica made a truce with Layne. Homecoming would still happen, and awards would still be given out for the best costumes. Homecoming had officially been combined with Halloween.

To her surprise, Monica flashed her a friendly smile- a real one, not one of the fake ones she gave to Alicia. "Hey, Claire."

* * *

 **Sorry I'm late with this chapter but I had some stuff going on with school.**

 **I know this chapter was a little slow, but things really start to take off after this.**


	9. Chapter 6, Part I

**AN: This story will now also be on Wattpad if you prefer to read it there. Same username and title as fanfic.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."**

 **-John Quincy Adams**

* * *

 **Briarwood-Octavian Prep**

 **Main Building, Room 104A**

 **Wednesday, September 4th**

 **2:24 P.M.**

When Massie walked into the large room it was uncomfortably full of people but she still managed to spot her friends.

They were sitting way down in the first row, front and center. Massie restrained a huff when she saw that Duh-livia was on Alicia's left. But at least for once Dylan was on Alicia's right instead of Claire, who sat next to Layne and the only open spot in the first few rows.

The lecture hall was large for their exclusive private school, seating about seventy, but small compared to university standards. Only a few classes were held there, its main use was to provide seating to guest speakers and for larger extracurricular clubs.

Like the Animal Advocates Club.

"Where's Kristen?" Massie asked. She thought she had been specific when she had told the PC that everyone needed to be there.

"Soccer practice." Claire and Layne said at the same time. She had almost forgotten that Kristen and Layne had formed a smart secret clique called 'the witty committee' and had become good friends.

Massie frowned at this news. But she understood that soccer came first for Kristen not only because of her scholarship, but it was also her passion.

She had wanted the entire Pretty Committee to enter the same club so they could spy on the Sova siblings. Massie had looked both of them up in last year's yearbook copy in the library and had found out that Ethan was the president of the Animal Advocates, a club dedicated to helping and saving animals in Westchester County and around the world. Monica just so happened to be the treasurer.

But looking at the row of nameplates on the long foldout table, one caught her eye, but Massie didn't see Monica's anywhere. "What happened to Monica?"

"She didn't have time for this either," Alicia explained. "Too many extracurriculars."

Indeed, Massie's head had spun at the number of things Monica was a part of. When Massie had signed up for teams and clubs that morning, she had tried to align her afterschool schedule to Monica's as much as possible. She had signed up for the burgundy society, student council (secretary of 10th grade), the animal advocates, and the equestrian team.

"How do you know?" Massie asked, finding it difficult to believe that Monica would admit such a thing to Alicia.

"My sources," Alicia said and Massie wanted to pull the glossy hairs right from Alicia's scalp, reminding her that she was a reporter for BOP, not CNN. She had always taken reporting seriously, but now she lived and breathed it. Instead of scrolling through Twitter for the latest celeb gossip, she was looking at the breaking headlines from the White House and around the globe.

Massie turned around and scanned the room, only seeing a few faces from OCD. Once again she felt like the new girl, seeing mostly strangers.

But then Massie's eyes landed on a boy with dark wavy hair and stunned blue-green eyes...

The urge to shrink back into her seat was immense, but she forced the corners of her lips upward and offered a small wave.

Massie had known this would happen eventually with her return to Westchester but hadn't expected it to happen so soon. Since seeing him with the PC, she had dreaded it. Their break up had been much harder on him than her, which was surprising considering how short of a time they had spent together. While settling into Surrey she had quickly moved onto James, and Landon continued to miss her, he had told her as such multiple times…

Until she ghosted him.

To her surprise, he smiled and waved back. He looked ready to get up until the sound of the door next to the giant smartboard opened. A few students, Ethan Sova included walked out followed by a woman in a blazer and pencil skirt that Massie guessed to be Miss Wu, the faculty leader of the club.

Miss Wu walked over to the small podium while the students at the head of the organization sat down at the table. Massie watched as a slightly above average faux brunette sat down in front of the nameplate that said **Daphne Roberts- Secretary**.

They had never met, but Massie recognized her from some of Claire's snapchats. Daphne was a Phillips Exeter Academy transfer that had dated Cam's Swedish bandmate. They had gone to Key Failure's gigs together to watch them perform until Daphne and Rafe's sudden breakup. Claire had been lamenting over it since.

A handsome guy with a deep tan, tawny hair, and hazel eyes sat down between her and Ethan. The name on the plate almost made her mouth drop.

 **Clayton Plovert-Reporter**

"Plovert the Pervert has a brother?" Massie whispered to Claire.

"Yeah," Claire seemed shocked that this was news to her. "He's normal unlike…" She discreetly pointed to the end of the first row, where Chris was sitting with Dempsey, bobbing his head to whatever was playing in his Airpods.

"How come I've never heard of him?" Massie wondered more to herself than Claire.

"They're half-brothers," Claire explained. "Clayton is by Mr. Plovert's first wife, and Chris is by his second." It made sense, Mr. Plovert was currently on his fourth wife. "He used to live with his mom in California but she sent him here to spend more time with his dad."

Massie's eyes next landed on Ethan as Miss Wu welcomed everyone and made her introduction. It was easy to see why every girl (and some guys) at BOP were obsessed with him. He was gorgeous. Very tall, at least six foot three, broad shoulders, and defined muscles. His brown hair had natural streaks of blonde from time in the sun that seemed to make his blue eyes pop even more and he had a jawline that could cut diamonds. He looked like a living Calvin Klein ad.

From her digging on him, she had found nothing. The only things she had heard were that he was athletic, smart, nice, and driven. The same things were said about his sister, only followed by a warning that she was nice… _if_ she decided she liked you.

"I'm pleased to introduce our club council," Miss Wu sang into the microphone. She named off the trio with their positions, smiling brightly at Ethan as she announced him. He was obviously her star pupil.

"As many of you know, our Vice President graduated in June," Miss Wu said and Massie felt a nervous spike in her stomach. Lots of people in the lecture hall wanted a position on the council. Being a leader of a large club, especially at an exclusive school such as BOP, looked all the better on an Ivy League application. "And our Treasurer had to step down due to a schedule conflict."

She walked over to a box on the table, lifting out a little remote. "The first order of business will be to fill those positions with a vote." She passed three out to the three council members. "I'll pass these around while we do nominations, and then you'll cast your votes."

"Claire!" Massie jammed her bony elbow into Claire's ribs.

"Ow!" Claire yelped.

"I need you to nominate me," Massie whispered. She had originally wanted the VP position not only because it looked good for colleges, but also so she could be closer to Monica and Ethan. But, Tiffany's remark was right. Even though she was from Westchester and knew some of them, she was still new to BOP. The other students hardly knew her and weren't likely to vote her into such an esteemed position. But it was worth a shot. "For Vice President."

"Uh," Claire glanced nervously at Alicia. "What about treasurer?"

"You don't think I can win VP?" Massie snapped. Surely, there was still a better chance than an LBR like Layne!

"You just might be aiming a little too high," Claire said earnestly. "Maybe next year, after everyone gets to know you."

"Nominate me." Massie insisted, glaring Claire down. It was a silent reminder that she had lied to her for an entire year about Alicia being the Alpha of BOP.

"I will," Claire whispered, finally getting the message.

 **BOP**

 **Main Building, Room 104A**

 **Wednesday, September 4th**

 **2:33 P.M.**

"Nominate me," Massie demanded Claire.

Alicia took a deep breath, reminding herself that they were no longer in middle school at OCD. They were BOP, where mercilessly not many people knew Massie Block.

It was Alicia that had a better chance of winning VP.

"Liv," Alicia whispered to her backup blonde. "I need you to nominate me as VP."

She had known Massie would be after the position when she had announced that she was joining the club. It was the perfect way to get to know her enemy better if Monica hadn't stepped down. But Massie was also after the status that came along with it. And Claire was the best choice to nominate her, she was easy to manipulate with guilt.

"Sure," Olivia shrugged. "But why do you want to be VP?"

"I have my reasons." She looked up Ethan and gave a subtitle wink. He sent her a small grin before returning his attention to Miss Wu.

"We'll start with Treasurer." She smoothed her black bob, "Do we have any nominations?"

A guy in the back stood up. "Chis Plovert!"

Whoops of agreement bubbled across the room even though his brother looked the opposite of thrilled. Clay muttered something under his breath as Miss Wu scribbled down his name.

A few more names were offered up, and Alicia waited until they stopped. Just when everyone thought they were about to move on, Alicia stood up.

"I nominate Claire Lyons." She smiled down at Claire. When Alicia had told her Ethan's plan, she had asked Claire to take Monica's old position, but she had been reluctant. She had told her it was so they could do it together, but it was really in case Monica became suspicious. It looked better to have two of them around him instead of just her.

Claire's electric blue eyes looked up at her in shock while Miss Wu indicated what button would represent the candidates. Claire held up her iClicker so Alicia could see it and clearly hit choice A, Chis Plovert, in defiance.

Alicia rolled her eyes and selected Claire. She was a shoo-in, her biggest competition being Plovert. Claire had been a member of the club the previous year and was known for being nice and responsible.

"Congratulations, Claire!" Miss Wu clapped and gestured for her to come and take a seat at the table. Claire shot her a _thanks a lot_ glance while Alicia smiled and clapped along with the crowd as she took her new seat. "Now, the nominations for Vice President."

A few names were read before Claire stood up and mentioned Massie.

Alicia turned to Olivia, expecting her to be ready to stand up, but she was more invested in her phone.

" _Olivia!_ " Alicia snapped.

Olivia quickly shot out of her seat. "Alicia Rivera!"

A few woos came from some guys in the crowd. Massie's mouth dropped but she quickly recovered.

"Since when do you care about animals?" She hissed.

"I always have." Alicia shrugged with an innocent smile.

"Norman Childs will be choice A, Massie Block will be B," Miss Wu listed off their choices and Alicia's grip tightened around the little white plastic remote. This needed to work…

After a few moments of silent clicking, Miss Wu checked the results. "Congratulations…" She paused in a dramatic hold until Alicia thought she was going to burst. "Alicia Rivera!"

A slow triumphant smile broke out on her face. As she stood up to go claim her place next to Ethan. Her sights were set solely on him, completely ignoring Massie's furious expression. She would deal with the repercussions later.

Right now, she was going to enjoy her victory.

* * *

 **AN: This chapter was originally part of the next chapter (the McKenzie party), but it was just way too long and needed to be split up.**

 **Feedback requested**


	10. Chapter 6, Part II

**I know I said that this would be the party, but I completely changed it because I didn't like it. And while I was trying to rewrite it this chapter was born lol.**

* * *

 **BOP**

 **Main Building**

 **Photography Room**

 **Thursday, September 5th**

 **1:25 P.M.**

"How did you talk me into taking this class?" Layne asked from her spot next to Claire, blindly toying with the camera in her hands. "I suck at this."

Indeed, Layne's shots were mediocre at best. They would probably be a little better if she didn't chug a Red Bull right before they walked together from Verona Hall to the Main Building. By the time they reached the classroom, Layne was hyped up and ready for the last class of the day with jittery hands.

"You'll get better!" Claire insisted encouragingly. Although it was only the first week of school, she had her doubts that there would be any major improvement by the end of the semester for Layne. And for the sake of Layne's grade and her health, Claire hoped that she would cut back on the energy drinks.

"I hope _I_ get better," Monica said as if she had been a part of the other side of the table's conversation. "Or else this was a waste of my time…" She gave Cayden a pointed look, grey eyes smoldering with a quiet fury.

Cayden was completely unfazed by a wrathful look that made Claire want to melt under the table, and she probably would have if she wasn't so oddly interested by what was being exchanged before her.

"You would have been overworked with your old schedule." He admonished more like a worried relative than a friend. "You _needed_ a fun elective."

"I had two…"

"Advanced Readings in Russian is not fun." Cayden rolled his eyes as Claire exchanged a glance with Layne.

"No, it's not." Monica laughed, her angry look at him seemed long gone, her eyes shining now. "But it would have been an easy A."

Claire had heard that the class was incredibly hard. Not only did you have to read classical Russian literature, but also write essays and give speeches on the assigned readings. And like every advanced or accelerated language course at BOP, no English was allowed.

She hadn't even known that Monica could speak Russian. But it wasn't a surprise.

During their freshman year, Alicia had done a little research on Monica's old Swiss boarding school, Le Rosey, a prestigious school even among the world's elite.

The main campus is located in the Château du Rosey in Rolle. In the winter the entire student body and all of the faculty move to the winter campus in the Swiss Alps resort town of Gstaad. Not only did the school's location provide natural exposure to French and German, but there was a ten percent quota for each nationality so that there was a mix of cultures and languages. The curriculum was bilingual with twenty-five mother tongue language and literature classes for students to stay in touch with their culture.

"I don't think Harvard will mind if you take one non-boring class." Cayden rolled his eyes. Everyone knew that Monica was destined to be accepted early to her school of choice.

But the mention of Harvard sent Monica's smile crashing. Cayden quickly noticed his friend's change in mood and jumped into action.

"Come on, you know you'll get in!" He encouraged. "Both of your parents graduated from there, you're a legacy!"

Her frown deepened the second he mentioned her parents. "I don't want to get in because of _them_." She spat and instantly Claire understood.

Monica didn't want people to think that her parents or her extreme privilege were the only reasons she was accepted to a top university. She wanted to be able to say that she had the mental capabilities to enter the Ivy League, that it was something she earned, not something her parents paid for. She wanted to prove herself...

Monica picked up the big black camera in front of her and pointed it at Cayden before snapping a picture. She opened her mouth to say something but shut it. Her perfectly shaped brows furrowed in confliction as she glanced at Claire and Layne across the table. She debated amongst herself for a moment before saying quietly, "Besides, I didn't apply for early admission to Harvard."

It was an effort to restrain her head from snapping to Layne to confirm if she had heard that right. Monica and Cayden's conversation was becoming increasingly personal and while she was curious, Claire felt as if this was something private and should remain between the two friends.

"Really?" Cayden gasped. This was news to him too.

Monica quickly snapped up his shocked expression with her camera.

He looked at the two other girls at the table, biting his lip hesitantly before asking, "Did you apply early anywhere?"

"Yale." She put the camera down and checked on Mr. Hart's progress with developing an old film roll he had found in the back of the storage closet. When she noticed that he was almost done she quickly added, "New Haven is closer to here, and Boston just seems so far away…"

"Isn't that the point?" Cayden asked. "Your parents can come to visit you more if you're closer…"

"Oh, but they won't." A slow smirk spread across Monica's lips. "Not when they're so incredibly disappointed in me and my decisions." Claire wondered what that could possibly mean.

"But what about Liam?"

This question made Monica completely freeze. She remained expressionless but her eyes were like a cold grey winter day: icy and dreadful.

There was always that cliché couple in every high school that thought that they would graduate high school together, go to the same college, and after that, they would plan the rest of their lives together. At BOP, this couple was Monica Sova and Liam Walker.

They were the couple that appeared to be so perfect that everything would fall into place for them. They would go to Harvard together for undergrad and grad school. He would give her his grandmother's enormous Harry Winston ring, and then they would move somewhere classically charming in Manhattan like a rare townhome off of Gramercy Park (with one the exclusive keys to the park, of course) or a chic and trendy place in SoHo. After a few years, they would start having kids and either stay in the city or move to a gorgeous colonial mansion on Long Island Sound or a sprawling estate in northern Westchester County like the ones they had grown up in.

But when Monica's beautiful expressionless mask cracked, Claire could see immense guilt. And for a moment, it looked that BOP's golden couple wasn't quite so golden after all.

Claire's phone quickly buzzed in her pocket.

Of course, it was Layne.

 **L:** **Omg is she going to kill us for knowing too much?**

She emphasized her question by sending the knife emoji.

Claire had wondered the same thing, or at least why Monica was admitting this in front of them. It was the same conversation any high school senior would have, debating what school to go to after graduation, but Monica didn't look too comfortable revealing information that not even Cayden had known in front of Claire and Layne. She knew that this would likely get to Alicia…

But, just when Monica seemed ready to answer Cayden, Mr. Hart exclaimed that the development was ready.

The results were pictures from the yearbook club in 1962, a few years after Briarwood and OCD's upper schools combined to become co-ed. The quality was grainy, and they obviously weren't in color, but the old school aesthetic drew Claire in.

All of the guys looked much cleaner cut and all of the girls had variations of the same haircut and the glasses with winged tips. Everyone was dressed preppy. There was one photo that was of a boy that looked like Cayden with glasses in a strangely appealing varsity sweater. She wasn't sure if her blush was from him being nearby or from guilt as Cam's face popped up in her head.

But, even though the students from the early Sixties looked different, the school looked the same for the most part. Today, the interiors of the older buildings integrated the original ornately carved oak-paneled walls and marble floors with more modern sleek designs. From the outside, the campus almost looked the same. The same immaculate grounds with the same old gothic buildings, it looked every bit of the picturesque New England campus then as it did now.

Claire snuck a peek at Monica. To the average person, she looked at ease as she looked at the pictures. But after a few days of sitting near her, Claire could tell by the tightness around her eyes and the Prada tapping on the floor that she was anything but. It seemed like the more pictures from BOP's past that were shown, the more uncomfortable she became.

It was then that Claire realized that she was anxious.

But was the worry from the stress of college admissions, or the trajectory of her relationship with BOP's top soccer star?

 **BOP**

 **Verona Hall**

 **Alicia's Locker**

 **Thursday, September 5th**

 **2:34 P.M.**

"Do you think that it's a good idea for Massie to be doing equestrian with Monica on the team?" Claire adjusted the Max Mara silk blouse Massie had given her when they had first gone to the Blocks' new estate. Alicia had a suspicion that it was because Massie had been pissy Claire had chosen to wear Alicia's choice for her first-day outfit. Since then Claire had been choosing her garments from Massie's never worn collection out of guilt.

"Probably not," Alicia shoved her iPad into her Prada backpack next to her Macbook before shutting her locker. Claire frowned at this and Alicia sighed. "She can handle herself," Alicia insisted. Massie had been one of the best riders at Galwaugh's exclusive camp, and would likely be a valuable addition to the equestrian team. Even Monica would see and appreciate that. "Besides, it was all her idea." Massie's plan to join all of Monica's extra-curriculars and spy on her was destined to blow up in her face, and why the PC wanted nothing to do with it. Alicia liked to lay low and avoid Monica as much as possible. She was already pushing the limits by following Ethan's plan, she didn't need to give Monica any more reasons to come after her.

"But you know how competitive she gets…" Claire's big worried blue orbs flashed with all of the possibilities. But, Alicia had to admit, Claire had a point.

Massie naturally wanted to be the best at everything, but horse-riding to Massie was what dance was to Alicia… It was her passion. She _had_ to be the best, it was the only way for her to thrive.

But, Monica was the same way.

And you can't have two number ones…

"Maybe Monica will knock her off her high horse," Alicia shrugged. It could be a good thing for Massie to learn to lose, to finally come in second place.

"It's a long fall…"

When they reached the large doors and walked down the steps, Alicia fished out her phone as they walked under the old enormous oak trees shading the sidewalk. She tapped on the Snapchat icon and quickly pulled up the map. Monica and Massie's fashionable Bitmojis were thankfully down the road at Galwaugh Farms ahead of schedule.

"No!" Claire suddenly yelled, looking down at her own iPhone.

"What?"

"My snap steak with Cam ended!" Claire wailed, shoving the screen under Alicia's eyeballs. Sure enough, the little the number that had been counting the days had disappeared. The little yellow heart signifying that they were each other's top best friends was also gone. "He hasn't opened any of the ones I sent him last night and he's been avoiding me all day!"

"Maybe he's just tired," Alicia offered. It wasn't like Cam at all to just ignore Claire, or at least when his band wasn't involved. "You know, with soccer tryouts, homework, and band practice."

"True," Claire sighed. "I just feel like we never see each other anymore."

"Well, have you told _him_ that?" Alicia asked, setting her sights on the parking lot.

"No…"

"Then maybe it's time for a talk," Alicia scanned the lot and smiled when her eyes landed Ethan's black Tesla. Unfortunately, she couldn't see if he was inside from the sun's glare.

"Where's the limo?" Claire around, but the only thing in sight was rows of luxury vehicles instead of the Rivera limousine.

"We're not taking the limo." As if on cue, Ethan's car left its assigned spot and rounded the rows to get to them. Now that she had a view, she could see that someone was in the passenger seat. And as it pulled up next to them at the curb, she could see that it was Cayden McKenzie.

"Are you crazy?" Claire snapped at her under her breath before Ethan could roll the window down. While the blonde had been worrying over everything since Massie moved back, this time it wasn't exaggerated. If Monica didn't like them hanging out, even it was under the guise of being for the Animal Advocates, this could all backfire on her.

But just like her gossip points cost-benefit analysis, Alicia had weighed all of the trouble she would be in if Monica found out against how Ethan made her feel. It was a no brainer that she would risk it all to be with him.

"Hey!" Ethan greeted and the doors unlocked.

"Hey!" Alicia sang as she opened up the door and forced Claire to follow.

"Hey, Claire." Cayden greeted as she and Alicia slid into the back seat.

"Hey," She smiled back at him. When Alicia had heard that Cayden and Monica were not only in Claire's photography class but also sat at her table, shed had been thoroughly surprised. And if she were being honest, it scared her. Had Monica known that Claire was in that class and wanted to spy on the PC?

But, Alicia knew that the McKenzie twins were like brothers to both of the Sova siblings. What if Cayden sniffed out her and Ethan's relationship and reported it to Monica?

"Hope you don't mind that Cayden needed a ride," Ethan explained as if sensing her brief moment of unease.

"Yeah, sorry," Cayden said sheepishly. "My worse half took my car."

"No probs," She answered. For a moment Alicia thought that he meant his girlfriend, Annie, but then realized that he meant his twin brother.

Alicia and Claire clicked on their seatbelts and Ethan turned up a Lil Nas X song before pulling out of the parking lot. Claire quickly texted Alicia asking where they were going, but Alicia just turned to her and smirked.

This was going to be her first time seeing Ethan's home. Whenever they had hung out over the summer it had been while Monica was away, and he had always picked her up. But, thanks to modern technology and her generational impulse to stalk someone through social media she had known that the Sova estate was in Westchester's most exclusive neighborhood, Geneva Shores.

Away from the city lights in northern Westchester on Lake Geneva, a dozen or so lucky families lived in elaborate homes encircling the private lake. There was the country club on the north side that was known for their luncheons and the mimosa bar on the roofed deck that extended out over the water. Because it was nestled in the heart of bucolic North Salem horse country, there was a celebrated equestrian facility on the south end.

"Oh shit!" Ethan exclaimed just as they were pulling out of the parking lot. "I forgot to send Landon my old notes."

"Landon Crane?" Claire asked, finally pulling out of her nervous shell.

"Yeah," He confirmed. "You know him?"

"Kind of," She tucked a piece of blond hair behind her ear. "He used to date our friend when he went to ADD" Claire explained. And like the ah-mazing beta she was, pressed for answers so Alicia wouldn't have to. "How do you know each other?"

"We played on the same club team in middle school."

So, Kristen had been right.

"Cool," Both girls replied although they could care less now that they had their answer.

"Claire," Cayden called from his passenger seat before turning around. His blue eyes seemed even brighter with the all-black interior. Claire seemed to have noticed this too by her discreet gulp. "Are you going on the extra credit trip to the Museum of Modern Art?"

"Uh, probably not." She said with a frown. "I don't have a ride."

Alicia shot Claire a questioning look. What extra credit field trip were they talking about?

"Monica said she'd drive," He said, smiling. "you and Layne can carpool with us if you'd like."

Monica stuck in a car with Layne to the city? That, Alicia, would pay big money to see.

There was only a brief flash of apprehension on Claire's face before she expertly hid it. "Yeah, thanks," Claire said after a moment and Alicia's head snapped to her. Did she really just do that?

Alicia met Ethan's eyes in the rearview mirror and he raised a brown brow. He was just as confused and curious as she was.

When they finally pulled into the Sova's gated driveway, Alicia tried not to look impressed. Even by her high standards, the grounds of the estate (and the estate itself) was something to behold.

Ethan had often mentioned how much he disliked the house because of how empty it seemed. She knew there was a ballroom, a gift-wrapping room, multiple parlors, and sitting rooms all over. There were _a lot_ of rooms for a four-person family, and his parents stayed at their Upper East Side townhome a lot of nights.

Ethan parked in front of the massive garage before a man in a black and white uniform opened up a dark wood door with frosted glass. A blur of yellow fur came rushing out past her legs, rushing at Ethan like a rocket.

"Hey, Duke!" Ethan greeted as a giant glossy blonde Golden Retriever launched himself at his owner. The second Ethan started petting him he laid down and rolled over so he could rub his belly. Alicia had almost forgotten that Ethan had purposely requested a Tesla for his sixteenth birthday because of the feature that allows you to safely leave animals in the car.

When Ethan stopped petting him, his big brown puppy eyes landed on the two non-familiar visitors and immediately sought their attention, which she and Claire gladly gave to him.

"Where there's one, there's more," Cayden warned and before they could ask what that meant, something slobbery with kibble breath was licking Alicia's face and it wasn't Duke…

Alicia bit back the disgusting grimace that desperately wanted to plaster itself across her beautiful features, but managed to hide it as the chunky yet short Pitbull mix licked her Chanel foundation covered cheek. While she was fairly confident in Ethan's feelings for her, she was pretty sure he would choose his beloved dogs over her if she didn't like them.

Not that she didn't like them, though. She loved dogs... Just not doggy breath.

"Where's Khaleesi?" Cayden asked as they walked towards the massive entryway.

Khaleesi, aka Leesi, and Duke the goldens were from the same litter and had been gifted to Monica and Ethan the previous year as Christmas presents. Both were often featured on their Insta stories. Alicia wasn't sure why Ethan named his puppy what he did, but she did know that Monica was a huge Game of Thrones nerd and had named it after Emilia Clarke's character, Daenerys Targaryen.

"Probably the pool." Ethan shrugged.

Suddenly, Alicia's Ralph Lauren blazer seemed suffocating at the mention of water. The lack of air-conditioning was beginning to make her sweat and the last thing she needed was to have a stinky pit sweat! Nothing killed the mood like B-O.

"You guys wanna jump in?" Ethan asked, leading them around the garage and through a garden with a maze of hedges and marble statues.

"Yes!" Both practically yelled. Every minute they spent outside, the hotter it seemed to get. She would just have to be careful not to get her hair or makeup wet. If she had known they would go swimming, she would have prepared with waterproof mascara.

To their right was the tennis and basketball courts, and down at the edge of the long sloping lawn was the large lake. There was a stone break wall along most of their property's shore, except for the beach area where a paddleboard lay abandoned in the sand. A boathouse rose up over the edge of the water and on the top, there was a large windowed room.

The large mansion that overlooked the lake also had a view of the pool down below. Complete with a bar, waterslide, and a tastefully landscaped waterfall that had two purposes; to serve as a diving platform, and the little cove that it rained over was the entrance to the grotto.

Laying on the end of one of the cushioned loungers was a Golden Retriever similar in shade to Duke, but a slightly more copper color with blond paws that almost looked like furry socks. Alicia recognized from Monica's Insta that this was Khaleesi.

"Well, thanks for the ride." Cayden adjusted his black leather messenger bag on his shoulder. "But I should go home."

"You should stay," Ethan said and Alicia silently agreed. She wanted to know more about the little trip Claire would be taking to Manhattan with them. "You don't have practice until five anyway."

"Good point," Cayden agreed, not needing much convincing at all. He threw his bag onto one of the lounge chairs at the edge of the pool. "This sounds way better than homework."

"The extra suits are in the pool house, first-floor bathroom." Ethan pointed to the smaller version of the mega main house on the other side of the pool. Then he turned to Cayden, "Don't even bother running home, you left yours here yesterday."

Alicia and Claire headed for the pool house and the guys to the main house. A little welcome mat at the front door had a welcome mat the said 'wipe your paws' and looked like it had been purchased off of Amazon. Alicia grabbed the handle and pushed her way in, gasping at the sight.

"Eh-ma-gawd!" Claire exclaimed when the door closed behind them.

While the main house looked like it should be decorated with antiques and priceless objects d'Art, the pool house was very rustic Ralph Lauren with large oversized chairs and tribal blankets everywhere. A massive stone fireplace took up the wall in front of a couch, a wide sleek tv bolted above it.

On the stairway banister, a black leather sleeved varsity jacket (reserved only for captains, any other varsity player had white sleeves). Alicia picked it up, and sure enough, it had the Sova last name stitched in thick burgundy thread. But, instead of it saying lacrosse under the name, it said equestrian with cheerleading. When she flipped it over the giant B patch on the left side was covered in pins and special medals from important competitions.

"It looks like someone lives in here," Claire pointed to the Macbook on the coffee table. Next to it were a bunch of different flavors of Whiteclaw and a bowl that had only been half-smoked. And in the kitchen, there was a plate with only a few scraps and an empty but used a coffee mug.

"Huh, Alicia continued to snoop around as they made their way to where he said the bathroom was. "That's weird."

The bathroom had three sections. The first was what you would expect to find in a regular bathroom (toilet, sink, etc.). Then after that was the shower section, followed by the changing area.

There were two racks on opposite walls of the changing section. One was filled with men's swim trunks and the other with bikinis and one-pieces. But unlike the extra swimsuits that Alicia's other friends handed out, the ones hanging before her weren't cheap itchy plain material… they were all the latest from her favorite designers. For a millisecond Alicia wondered why there were so many different styles with every available size until she remembered that Ethan's mom was one of the most powerful people in the fashion industry.

Choosing a Stella McCartney python print underwire bikini for herself, she quickly entered one of the curtained bays and stripped out of her stuffy hot clothes. When she stepped out, Claire was waiting for her in a floral Zimmerman bandeau bikini. Once they checked themselves over in the full-length mirror, they were ready.

Ethan and Cayden were already diving in off the top of the waterfall when they joined them. A Post Malone song blasted out of the outdoor speakers that were all around and floaties had been thrown into the water for their convenience. When Ethan made a perfect dive off the top of the ledge, Khaleesi finally left her napping spot and jumped in after him.

After Cayden jumped in and surfaced, both boys turned and looked up at them expectantly. Even though she didn't want to ruin her makeup, Alicia didn't want to seem high maintenance around Ethan. So, both girls locked arms and made their way up the stone steps to the top of the ledge above the pool. When they were at the edge, Alicia finally noticed how high up they were.

"Well?" Ethan asked with a laugh, practically daring them to jump.

"Jump!" Cayden cheered.

With one last look at each other, both girls took a deep breath before jumping off. When she hit the water, Alicia was met with cool relief. She felt reinvigorated as she pushed off the bottom of the pool and kicked towards the surface.

But when her head came above the water, the music was gone and when she opened her eyes she saw a large-eyed Claire, panic swimming in her blue eyes. Cayden was biting his lip, and Ethan shot her an apologetic look before she finally looked up at the edge of the pool.

Standing over her fully equipped in riding gear, was Monica.

 **Briarwood-Octavian Prep**

 **Bates Soccer Stadium**

 **Thursday, September 5th**

 **4:55 P.M.**

The humid air clung to Derrick's skin as he ran until Coach blew the whistle. Summer still had a grip on the East Coast, which meant that the last night of tryouts consisted of constantly trying to stay hydrated. He was still getting adjusting to his new position.

As a goalie, he hadn't moved around as much, but now as a striker, he was constantly on the move. But he enjoyed the endurance and liked seeing how far he could push himself. Like in the semi-finals last year…

They had been down by one and he had been exhausted to the point he didn't think his legs could carry him anymore. But it had been do or die, and his fighting instincts had kicked in. If his adrenaline hadn't been pumping before, it had been in the last few minutes when he tied the game. His pass to Cam had given Liam the perfect chance to score before the end of the game.

"Bring it in!" Coach Brookfield bellowed from his spot next to the Gatorade cooler. The two assistant coaches were furiously swiping on their iPads, still looking at player profiles as they debated who would make the final cut.

"How do you think my chances are?" Chris caught up to him as he made his way to the forming circle around the staff.

"Good," Derrick said honestly, "You kicked ass, man."

"Awesome." Chris high fived him and took a deep breath, finally showing just how fatigued he was.

"I want you all to know that I'm proud of you for all of your hard work these past few days," Coach B started off the same spiel he gave every year before letting down a majority of the guys that tried out for the team. "I would love to have all of you play for me, but unfortunately there's a small number of spots…"

Chris shot him a worried expression, but Derrick didn't fret. Plovert had been close to making the team as a freshman and had improved a lot in a year on the JV team.

Derrick stopped paying attention as Coach explained what would happen next. As the guys headed to the locker room to shower and change, the coaching staff would head to a conference room to make their final decision. Then, each guy would be sent an email detailing if they made the team or not. All those that made it to the final roster stayed in the locker room and elected their new captains.

He wished them the best of luck and sent them on their way.

"How do you think Dempsey's chances are?" Cam asked as they made their way off the field.

Derrick's brown eyes landed on Dempsey, head fully tilted back as a large jug of water dumped over his face, relief washing over him.

"His ex is still better than him," Even Derrick couldn't deny Kristen's kick-ass skills on the field. "But, he has a decent chance."

"I'm pretty sure Kristen is better than most of the guys here." Cam laughed. The PC's most athletic member was destined to go to a Division I program or could even possibly be a future player for the U.S. Women's National Team.

"True." Derrick agreed with a chuckle. If only she were allowed to play for the guys' team. They would beat Crestmore for sure if they had her.

When he was done showering and pulling the clean shirt his mom had quickly thrown into his bag over his wet hair, his normal sky-high confidence began to waver. All around him, the rest of the guys were also finishing getting dressed and beginning to obsessively refresh their student email account. There were a lot of good players trying out this year…

Being on the team the previous year didn't guarantee him a spot this year, although he had been one of the top scorers. That was one thing that set him apart from the rest.

"Ready?" Cam asked, sitting down on the bench with his cracked phone in hand.

"Dude, can you even read on that thing?" Derrick grabbed his phone from its cozy cushioned spot in his Nike bag. Unlike Cam, he protected his phone from stupid accidents. While moving his band's equipment into their first NYC gig a few weeks ago, Cam had dropped it and hadn't gotten it fixed.

"Sort of." Cam shrugged sheepishly. "My parents said they're not paying to fix it." Cam was currently on his third phone in less than a year. The first one had simply been left behind in an Uber, and the second had gone to the bottom of Plovert's dyed green pool on St. Patrick's Day when Claire had drunkenly taken both of them in.

And now the third looked like it had dived from the top of the Empire State Building.

"If I get paid for the party tomorrow I can go to the Apple store on Saturday," Cam said with a shrug.

"Fuck," Chris came around the corner holding his stomach. "I feel like I'm gonna hurl."

Cam tossed a bottle of water at him as he came and joined them, quickly followed by Dempsey and Josh. A few minutes passed, but it felt like a lifetime. Every person in the room seemed to radiate nervousness, anxiety, or both.

Finally, a new email popped up in his inbox. All of the conversations in the room hushed as their eyes scanned their screens.

"YES!" Chris jumped up, throwing his fist in the air. A bunch of other celebratory whoops followed.

Once Derrick confirmed his spot on the team was safe, he congratulated his friend.

"Phew, I was nervous for a sec." Cam's face, nearly white only a few moments ago, finally regained some color.

"Same." Derrick laughed, but his friends' smiles froze and they looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"Yeah right," Josh rolled his eyes.

"You?" Chris asked like he couldn't believe it. '

While Derrick exchanged high fives with the guys, he noticed that someone wasn't celebrating with them… He turned around to see Dempsey still sitting down, staring down numbly at his phone. "Shit…"

"I made JV again," Dempsey muttered, not looking any of them in the eye.

"You're only a sophomore," Cam reminded him. "There's always next year."

"How am I supposed to impress Kristen on JV?" Dempsey snapped. Over the summer he had devised a plan to get her back. He had started training with her, not only to get better but to spend more time with her. Somehow since then, he had concluded that if he made varsity, she'd want him back.

"Dude, I'm sorr-" Cam started to apologize but Dempsey quickly stood up and cut him off.

"Save it, I don't want your pity." Dempsey grabbed his bag and left.

A few of the other rejects began to walk out with sluggish defeat.

"Don't worry about him," Josh rolled his eyes. "He'll get baked as fuck tonight and never mention it again."

Derrick frowned at this news. Ever since Layne and Dempsey started hanging out with Griffin Hastings, Dempsey had immersed himself into stoner culture.

As the rest of the guys that didn't make the team left, those that remained excitedly chatted about their future season. After a few more minutes, the door opened revealing Coach B. He was followed by the other coaches and Liam Walker. The coaches congratulated them before turning to a topic that clenched his stomach.

"As all of you know, Liam had been chosen as Captain last year." Coach B gestured to Liam's tall and lean form. "But, we still need an Assistant Captain…" Derrick's stomach folded in on itself as Coach's eyes scanned the new team and stopped when they landed on him. Was that a good thing, or a bad thing? Did Coach B think he was ready? Or still too young and inexperienced? "You will all be allowed to nominate someone, but Liam has already offered up a name…"

Derrick took a deep breath, and looked over at Liam, meeting his gaze.

* * *

 **So if you don't watch Game of Thrones (or read it), Khaleesi basically means queen. It's also a little tribute to our queen, Lisi.**

 **Also, Le Rosey is a real school. Everything mentioned about it is true.**

 **Hope everyone had a happy Halloween!**

 **PLEASE tell me what you think!**


	11. Chapter 7

" **You go through life wondering what is it all about but at the end of the day it's all about family."**

 **-Rod Stewart**

* * *

 **The Sova Estate**

 **The Pool House**

 **The Kitchen**

 **Thursday, September 5th**

 **7:58 P.M.**

Monica had just logged into the school's website at the kitchen bar when the front door opened followed by the sound of shoes being kicked off. She swiveled around in her stool to see Ethan flop down on the couch next to Leesi and turn on the TV.

"That took you a while." She noted, trying to make her voice as even as possible. The delicious lobster thermidor the chef had prepared been thrown out after she and the staff knew for sure that he wouldn't be home anytime soon.

She should have expected as much when she crashed his little party…

"We went to Slice of Heaven before I dropped them off." Ethan flicked through his options, not even bothering to look at her.

Her nerves spiked dangerously high. Her day had been full unpleasantries and she wasn't in the mood for another one.

First, she had found out that the new feisty brunette Pretty Committee member had joined the equestrian team, and from the few jumps Monica had watched, she was pretty good. Secondly, she had dealt with Jenny Morgan's horse crushing her foot, forcing practice to be canceled while the coaching staff took her to the hospital. Then, she had come home, ready to remove her makeup and slip into the spa room for a steam and a facial when she had heard screaming and a blaring stereo. Much to her surprise (and dismay), her brother and Cayden had been hanging out with Alicia Rivera and Claire Lyons.

"And since when did you start hanging out with sophomores?" She finally snapped.

"They were here for an Animal Advocates meeting," Even though she couldn't see it, she knew he was rolling his eyes.

She had heard that Claire had been voted into her old position and Alicia had snatched up the VP spot. She knew the underclassmen hadn't been there for an off-campus club meeting without the other high ranking members.

Just how dumb and gullible did he think she was?

"Oh, really?" She snapped, "How much work did you get done in the _pool_?"

Finally, he turned and looked up at her with a hard defensive furrow at his brows. "We were waiting for-"

There was certainly something going on between them, she just couldn't put her finger on it yet. She was desperate to interrogate him over why Alicia had been there, but she would have to handle it delicately…

The last time she had questioned him about her was when she had landed from Paris after receiving the dreadful news that they had hooked up at Clayton Plovert's younger brother's St. Patrick's Day party. It hadn't gone well then, and most likely wouldn't now. Ethan loathed when she meddled in his love life, even if it was to protect him.

"The kitten?" Monica interrupted her voice harder than before. Instantly, Ethan's face paled. "It's in the main house, terrorizing the dogs and the staff. You would know that if you charged your phone once in a while!"

While Ethan had been gone dropping off Alicia and Claire, one of Ethan's older friends had dropped off a kitten he had found abandoned on the side of a road.

When their butler, Grant, had set sights on the adorable baby version of Mr. Jinx from _Meet the Parents_ he had let out a heavy sigh before exclaiming that he wasn't running an animal shelter. But he might as well have been with how many animals were lodged in Ethan's room. A turtle, a snake (yuck), two mice (eek), a talkative Cockatoo, a tarantula (double yuck), and a massive fish tank that featured live corals and bright fish. Ethan took care of them most of the time, but when the family jetted off somewhere he was the one stuck babysitting all of the little creatures.

Monica and even her parents had been fine with Ethan's pets, until Zurry, his corn snake, had escaped. No one had seen it in over a week, and just when Monica had thought the snake was long gone it had magically appeared…

In a Manolo bootie that she had been about to slip on.

After that, she had started spending most of her time in the pool house, practically living in there since they returned from the Hamptons in August. She probably would live in there full time if it weren't for her two-story closet (and the septate closet for her shoes) in the main house, and so Ethan wouldn't feel so lonely in the empty mansion.

He stood up, running his hands through his hair. "Are mom and dad coming home tonight?"

"Doubt it," She said after double-checking the time on her phone.

No, their parents wouldn't be home that night and likely wouldn't be until the next week. There was a chance their dad could come home while she and her mom were rushed from show after show for fashion week over the weekend… it was one of the rare times Monica enjoyed spending time with her mom. Not to mention she loved being photographed sitting next to her mom in the first row at all of the best shows.

Ethan let out a huge sigh of relief, sitting back down and petting Khaleesi's head.

"You know you're already skating on thin ice with them…" She warned. They were still mad that he had somehow convinced their uncle to go to a local animal shelter and adopt his other dog, Moe, in his name because Ethan was still a minor.

But what made them fume in fury was that their only son had informed them that he was planning on applying to Cornell to fulfill his dreams of becoming a vet. Naturally, this had upset their parents. Members of their families went off to school to study business, law, communications, and maybe med school followed by specializing in a respectable high paying field like plastics or cardiology.

In their parents' minds, their son was too well-bred and high born to be working with animal stool samples.

"They can't just ship me off," Ethan groaned. "It's my junior year."

"You know that won't stop them," She kept her hard gaze on him until he finally looked up at her.

What they used to think was an empty intimidation tactic to keep them out of trouble had turned out to be a very real one. When Monica had just graduated elementary school she had walked in on her mom and a guy she had never seen before making out and ripping each other's clothes off. At the time she didn't know what they had been about to do, but had known that it wasn't her dad and that it was wrong…

Her mom had her bags packed that night and Monica boarded the Sova private jet for Switzerland the next day.

But ever since she returned the constant threat of being shipped off to boarding school hung over them like the fake rain cloud in _The Truman Show_. She was doubtful that they would send her anywhere because it was her last year of high school, but there was still a chance for Ethan.

"You just need to lay low for the year," She said softly at the sight of his body tensing up with unease. "They can't do much when you're a senior."

His bright blue, the same as their mom's but much warmer, met hers tinged with melancholy. "It's gonna suck without you around here."

They had had conversations about her leaving next fall dozens of times, but he had always said how jealous he was of her for turning eighteen and going off to college, finally free to do whatever she wanted. She had known that he was a little sad to see her graduate and leave alone in their giant gilded cage, which was why she had chosen Yale over Harvard to stay close, but he had never shown just how deep his grief was in the situation.

It felt like her horse had kicked her in the stomach and her voice cracked when she said, "You know there will always be a place for you in my dorm." And even though he looked like he was going to be uncomfortable when he saw her come at him for a hug, he held onto her tightly.

Now was certainly not the time to bring up Alicia Rivera…


End file.
